Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMBB | Back on track: After 1st loss to Ohio State, SU responds with important win against Washington
By Zach Schonbrun
Posted: 11/27/07, 12:40 AM EST Section: Sports
Point guard Jonny Flynn had a conspicuously bad game (0-for-6, two assists, three turnovers), but Flynn wasn't the only one off his mark.
"I think a couple of our young guys tried to do a little too much," Boeheim said after Wednesday's game. "I think this was a learning experience coming down here, that we got a lot of things to learn about our team."
Syracuse responded by utilizing the athleticism of its offense and countering Washington's pressure defense simply by outrunning it. Against Ohio State, SU shot 36.2 percent from the field - its lowest percentage of the season - as the Buckeyes kept the Orange in more of a half-court game and Syracuse missed 20 of the 25 3-pointers it attempted.
On Friday, SU took only nine 3's. The team shot 51.9 percent from the field because of all the layups and dunks it got by pushing the ball up the floor.
"We got some turnovers, we made some good plays," Boeheim said. "That gets you into transition."
Despite allowing 85 points, Syracuse did make some solid progressions defensively against Washington. The Orange had season highs with 12 steals and nine blocks, like the one Jackson made in the first half to extend a 13-0 run that gave SU a lead it would never relinquish. And while the Huskies struggled mightily with foul trouble - four players eventually fouled out of the game and Brockman, UW's leading scorer and rebounder, played only 21 minutes - SU didn't let anyone take over the game as it did Ohio State's Kosta Koufos on Wednesday.
Koufos, a 7-foot-1 freshman, scored 24 points in 30 minutes and added three blocks and nine rebounds against the Orange.
So what Syracuse did was bounce back by playing its own game, at its own level, at its own pace. Washington just struggled to keep up.
"We got a lot of good finishers on the team with myself, and Paul and Donte and Jonny (Flynn)," Devendorf said. "When we get in transition, it's pretty tough to stop us."
It was an important game, if not just because it was against a quality opponent and on national television, but because it signified that Syracuse's young team can respond to adversity. If there is no such thing as a good loss, Wednesday's game was probably close to it.
"It's important, especially for a young team, it's important for us to bounce back from a loss," Greene said. "I think losing early is definitely going to help us. Not saying I'd like to lose, but I like taking the loss in stride."
"I think a couple of our young guys tried to do a little too much," Boeheim said after Wednesday's game. "I think this was a learning experience coming down here, that we got a lot of things to learn about our team."
Syracuse responded by utilizing the athleticism of its offense and countering Washington's pressure defense simply by outrunning it. Against Ohio State, SU shot 36.2 percent from the field - its lowest percentage of the season - as the Buckeyes kept the Orange in more of a half-court game and Syracuse missed 20 of the 25 3-pointers it attempted.
On Friday, SU took only nine 3's. The team shot 51.9 percent from the field because of all the layups and dunks it got by pushing the ball up the floor.
"We got some turnovers, we made some good plays," Boeheim said. "That gets you into transition."
Despite allowing 85 points, Syracuse did make some solid progressions defensively against Washington. The Orange had season highs with 12 steals and nine blocks, like the one Jackson made in the first half to extend a 13-0 run that gave SU a lead it would never relinquish. And while the Huskies struggled mightily with foul trouble - four players eventually fouled out of the game and Brockman, UW's leading scorer and rebounder, played only 21 minutes - SU didn't let anyone take over the game as it did Ohio State's Kosta Koufos on Wednesday.
Koufos, a 7-foot-1 freshman, scored 24 points in 30 minutes and added three blocks and nine rebounds against the Orange.
So what Syracuse did was bounce back by playing its own game, at its own level, at its own pace. Washington just struggled to keep up.
"We got a lot of good finishers on the team with myself, and Paul and Donte and Jonny (Flynn)," Devendorf said. "When we get in transition, it's pretty tough to stop us."
It was an important game, if not just because it was against a quality opponent and on national television, but because it signified that Syracuse's young team can respond to adversity. If there is no such thing as a good loss, Wednesday's game was probably close to it.
"It's important, especially for a young team, it's important for us to bounce back from a loss," Greene said. "I think losing early is definitely going to help us. Not saying I'd like to lose, but I like taking the loss in stride."
Be the first to comment on this story