Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMBB | Foul trouble after halftime big reason for SU's struggles
By John Clayton
Posted: 12/8/07, 11:23 PM EST Section: Sports
Greene sat out three minutes after picking up his fourth personal near the 9:04 mark, and then fouled out with 4:10 remaining shortly after returning, finishing with 12 points.
With Greene out and Devendorf struggling, Syracuse lost its scoring touch in the final two minutes.
"I think it was tremendous," Rhode Island coach Jim Baron said of getting SU's two top scorers into foul trouble. "I think Devendorf is a tremendous scorer and then Greene we really backed down and getting him foul trouble and then fouling him out was tremendous and extremely pivotal."
The foul trouble did open up opportunities for freshmen Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine, who played well in stretches of the second half. Jackson finished with a career-high 13 points and seven rebounds.
Yet with no Devendorf and no Greene, SU just lost its rhythm in a second half that saw the Orange blow a lead that at one point in the half was 11 points.
"As you see, when Eric and Donte go out, we have good bench play, but those are our main two scorers," SU forward Paul Harris said. "We look forward to those guys doing a lot for us."
The foul trouble also showed SU its tentativeness on the defensive end. That was especially apparent rebounding - SU was outrebounded, 46-35, on the game and allowed the Rams to pull down a stunning 21 offensive rebounds.
Paul Harris said of the calls: "It makes you scared to even put your hands up."
Indeed, many of the fouls were of the touch variety, and many left the Carrier Dome crowd, and the SU players, questioning the calls.
"Of course you're going to get frustrated," freshman Jonny Flynn said. "Some of those fouls were fouls, but a lot of them weren't. But there's going to be games like that, you can't let the ref dictate how you play a game. That's what we do a lot."
With Greene out and Devendorf struggling, Syracuse lost its scoring touch in the final two minutes.
"I think it was tremendous," Rhode Island coach Jim Baron said of getting SU's two top scorers into foul trouble. "I think Devendorf is a tremendous scorer and then Greene we really backed down and getting him foul trouble and then fouling him out was tremendous and extremely pivotal."
The foul trouble did open up opportunities for freshmen Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine, who played well in stretches of the second half. Jackson finished with a career-high 13 points and seven rebounds.
Yet with no Devendorf and no Greene, SU just lost its rhythm in a second half that saw the Orange blow a lead that at one point in the half was 11 points.
"As you see, when Eric and Donte go out, we have good bench play, but those are our main two scorers," SU forward Paul Harris said. "We look forward to those guys doing a lot for us."
The foul trouble also showed SU its tentativeness on the defensive end. That was especially apparent rebounding - SU was outrebounded, 46-35, on the game and allowed the Rams to pull down a stunning 21 offensive rebounds.
Paul Harris said of the calls: "It makes you scared to even put your hands up."
Indeed, many of the fouls were of the touch variety, and many left the Carrier Dome crowd, and the SU players, questioning the calls.
"Of course you're going to get frustrated," freshman Jonny Flynn said. "Some of those fouls were fouls, but a lot of them weren't. But there's going to be games like that, you can't let the ref dictate how you play a game. That's what we do a lot."
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