Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMBB | That's more like it: Syracuse takes advantage of Washington's foul trouble to win consolation game at NIT Tipoff
By Zach Schonbrun
Posted: 11/23/07, 8:14 PM EST Section: Sports
NEW YORK - Lorenzo Romar lost himself in a moment of pure frustration.
His cries bounced around the upper reaches of Madison Square Garden, echoing off the banners and rattling around the speakers hanging from the copper roof. It took a referee's whistle and a technical foul to quiet the Washington head coach but his anger was still at a fever pitch.
His star forward Jon Brockman had just been called for his fourth foul early in the second half, and, with several other key Huskies already in foul trouble, Romar was seething.
"I deserved it," Romar said. "With the new rules, under the rules I probably deserved a technical foul."
New rules or not, it was a frustrating evening for Washington and a pleasant one for Syracuse and its head coach Jim Boeheim at the NIT Tip-Off's consolation game, as the Orange took advantage of the Huskies' foul difficulties on Friday and played to its own strengths: running the fast break, forcing turnovers and getting to the free-throw line. SU also played just enough defense to beat Washington, 91-85, at a half-full Madison Square Garden.
For the third-straight game, freshman Donte Greene led Syracuse (4-1) in scoring, finishing with 25 points - also the third-straight game he's netted more than 20. Despite a quiet second half, Eric Devendorf finished with 18 and Jonny Flynn added 16.
Syracuse solved its offensive woes after a dreadful performance Wednesday against Ohio State in the semifinals of the tournament. SU shot 51.9 percent from the field on Friday (up from 36.2 against the Buckeyes) while limiting Washington (3-2) to just a 42 percent mark.
Syracuse likely would have scored in triple digits had the Orange made more than just 34 of its 52 free-throw attempts, which Boeheim thought was uncharacteristic of his team.
The story of the game early on was Washington's foul trouble. The Huskies ran up a nine-point early lead despite not having its best player, the 6-foot-7 Brockman, who picked up two fouls in the game's first four minutes and was forced to the bench. By 13:13, Syracuse was already in the bonus and Washington was limited in what it could do defensively.
His cries bounced around the upper reaches of Madison Square Garden, echoing off the banners and rattling around the speakers hanging from the copper roof. It took a referee's whistle and a technical foul to quiet the Washington head coach but his anger was still at a fever pitch.
His star forward Jon Brockman had just been called for his fourth foul early in the second half, and, with several other key Huskies already in foul trouble, Romar was seething.
"I deserved it," Romar said. "With the new rules, under the rules I probably deserved a technical foul."
New rules or not, it was a frustrating evening for Washington and a pleasant one for Syracuse and its head coach Jim Boeheim at the NIT Tip-Off's consolation game, as the Orange took advantage of the Huskies' foul difficulties on Friday and played to its own strengths: running the fast break, forcing turnovers and getting to the free-throw line. SU also played just enough defense to beat Washington, 91-85, at a half-full Madison Square Garden.
For the third-straight game, freshman Donte Greene led Syracuse (4-1) in scoring, finishing with 25 points - also the third-straight game he's netted more than 20. Despite a quiet second half, Eric Devendorf finished with 18 and Jonny Flynn added 16.
Syracuse solved its offensive woes after a dreadful performance Wednesday against Ohio State in the semifinals of the tournament. SU shot 51.9 percent from the field on Friday (up from 36.2 against the Buckeyes) while limiting Washington (3-2) to just a 42 percent mark.
Syracuse likely would have scored in triple digits had the Orange made more than just 34 of its 52 free-throw attempts, which Boeheim thought was uncharacteristic of his team.
The story of the game early on was Washington's foul trouble. The Huskies ran up a nine-point early lead despite not having its best player, the 6-foot-7 Brockman, who picked up two fouls in the game's first four minutes and was forced to the bench. By 13:13, Syracuse was already in the bonus and Washington was limited in what it could do defensively.
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Gordy
posted 11/23/07 @ 11:03 PM EST
It was great to see the Orange play with more control and lesss turnovers than the Huskies. I would like to see more rebounding and the Foul shooting sure needs improvement. (Continued…)
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