Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMBB | Bear Necessities: Nichols scores 28 again, leads SU over Baylor
4 players hit double figures in season-high output for Orange
By Kelvin Ang
Posted: 12/16/06, 11:27 PM EST Section: Sports
"I always said from day one that he's our best player and especially our best scorer. When he gets hot, I don't care if I'm hot; I'm going to give him the ball."
That is, except for one possession. With less than six minutes to go, Harris charged down the court with guard Eric Devendorf ahead to his left and Nichols wide open beyond the 3-point line on his right. Harris dumped the ball inside to Devendorf, who had it swatted away for an Orange turnover. Nichols reacted by grimacing and thumping his chest with his right fist.
The next time Harris held the ball, he was standing on the sidelines looking to inbound the ball. He knew exactly who he would find.
Harris dumped a short pass to Nichols just inside the 3-point arc, and Nichols swirled around on a fade-away jumper that swished through the net. The basket, with 5:38 remaining, was Nichols' final one of the game and gave the Orange an insurmountable 78-56 lead.
"Yeah, I feel like (I can't miss) a lot of times," Nichols said. "My teammates do a great job of giving me the ball and trying to find me."
Nichols may have received the loudest cheers of the night when he left the game, but the ones local favorite Rautins received during the starting lineup introductions weren't far behind. Boeheim did not explain at his post-game press conference why he chose to start Rautins over Devendorf or Harris.
The Jamesville native finished with his third double-digit scoring output of the season on 4-for-10 shooting. He scored the first Syracuse basket of the game when he pulled up for a trey 38 seconds in.
"It was definitely a special moment for me; it's something I've dreamed of since I was a little kid," Rautins said. "(But) the moment was over a couple of minutes later when you realize you have to get down on the floor and play a game."
Rautins started it, but Nichols propelled Syracuse to a commanding first-half lead with hot shooting early in the game. He scored seven points in a 14-5 run that gave Syracuse a 23-11 lead with 12:33 remaining in the first half.
His final basket of the run came with 13:18 to go, when he collected the ball beyond the arc, pump-faked and dribbled two steps to his left, and then sank a fade-away 3-pointer.
"He's putting the ball on the floor now, which he didn't do in his first three years," Boeheim said. "(He's) making shots off the dribble, and that's all part of the process to get better."
That is, except for one possession. With less than six minutes to go, Harris charged down the court with guard Eric Devendorf ahead to his left and Nichols wide open beyond the 3-point line on his right. Harris dumped the ball inside to Devendorf, who had it swatted away for an Orange turnover. Nichols reacted by grimacing and thumping his chest with his right fist.
The next time Harris held the ball, he was standing on the sidelines looking to inbound the ball. He knew exactly who he would find.
Harris dumped a short pass to Nichols just inside the 3-point arc, and Nichols swirled around on a fade-away jumper that swished through the net. The basket, with 5:38 remaining, was Nichols' final one of the game and gave the Orange an insurmountable 78-56 lead.
"Yeah, I feel like (I can't miss) a lot of times," Nichols said. "My teammates do a great job of giving me the ball and trying to find me."
Nichols may have received the loudest cheers of the night when he left the game, but the ones local favorite Rautins received during the starting lineup introductions weren't far behind. Boeheim did not explain at his post-game press conference why he chose to start Rautins over Devendorf or Harris.
The Jamesville native finished with his third double-digit scoring output of the season on 4-for-10 shooting. He scored the first Syracuse basket of the game when he pulled up for a trey 38 seconds in.
"It was definitely a special moment for me; it's something I've dreamed of since I was a little kid," Rautins said. "(But) the moment was over a couple of minutes later when you realize you have to get down on the floor and play a game."
Rautins started it, but Nichols propelled Syracuse to a commanding first-half lead with hot shooting early in the game. He scored seven points in a 14-5 run that gave Syracuse a 23-11 lead with 12:33 remaining in the first half.
His final basket of the run came with 13:18 to go, when he collected the ball beyond the arc, pump-faked and dribbled two steps to his left, and then sank a fade-away 3-pointer.
"He's putting the ball on the floor now, which he didn't do in his first three years," Boeheim said. "(He's) making shots off the dribble, and that's all part of the process to get better."
Be the first to comment on this story