Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMBB | THAT'S 3: Syracuse's 6-man team scores 3rd consecutive win
By Matt Gelb
Posted: 2/2/08, 4:12 PM EST Section: Sports
Unlike Wednesday at DePaul, when center Arinze Onuaku single-handedly carried the Orange offensively, when Syracuse needed a basket, it came from a variety of sources.
When Corey Fisher made his second 3-pointer in less than a minute to trim Syracuse's lead to six, 66-60, Ongenaet - of all people - drained a 3-pointer from the corner as the shot clock expired with 7:26 left in the game. It was his first made 3-pointer since Dec. 18.
With Syracuse starting a comeback midway through the first half, it was Greene, who airballed his first shot, who made three 3's that keyed a 15-0 Syracuse run from 7:34 to 4:05.
And when Flynn missed a 3-pointer with time running out in the first half, Rick Jackson grabbed the offensive board and put back a reverse layup as time expired to put the Orange ahead by five at the break after trailing by as many as 11 points.
The starting guards, Flynn and Harris, combined for 52 points. Onuaku, who scored 22 points at DePaul, was double-teamed much of the game and only took one shot.
"When you have so many weapons out there, it's hard to stop every weapon," Flynn said. "When it's like that, someone's going to get off. This was a game for the guards today."
Villanova's star guard Scottie Reynolds, spent the entire game in foul trouble (much like the entire Wildcats team) and scored zero points in the first half. He finished with 12 points, five coming in the final minute when the game was already decided.
Stopping Reynolds was a team task, as was the defensive comeback by the Orange after a miserable beginning.
Villanova started the game shooting 12-for-14 and most of the baskets were easy ones in the paint.
"Once we got back here and kind of tightened it up a little bit, they missed a couple shots, I think they were 13-for-15 [sic] to start," Boeheim said. "I didn't realize that. It's a good thing I didn't realize that I probably would have quit."
But once Syracuse's zone defense solidified the interior, Villanova was forced to take jump shots - and missed most of them. That's when Greene started hitting his shots, Flynn became a scoring option and Harris created his drives to the hoop.
And through everything that's transpired in the past seven days, that six-man Syracuse team has emerged as a contender in the Big East.
"It's big," Harris said. "We just proved to everyone we can win on the road last game. Now we came out here and snuffed another one out."
When Corey Fisher made his second 3-pointer in less than a minute to trim Syracuse's lead to six, 66-60, Ongenaet - of all people - drained a 3-pointer from the corner as the shot clock expired with 7:26 left in the game. It was his first made 3-pointer since Dec. 18.
With Syracuse starting a comeback midway through the first half, it was Greene, who airballed his first shot, who made three 3's that keyed a 15-0 Syracuse run from 7:34 to 4:05.
And when Flynn missed a 3-pointer with time running out in the first half, Rick Jackson grabbed the offensive board and put back a reverse layup as time expired to put the Orange ahead by five at the break after trailing by as many as 11 points.
The starting guards, Flynn and Harris, combined for 52 points. Onuaku, who scored 22 points at DePaul, was double-teamed much of the game and only took one shot.
"When you have so many weapons out there, it's hard to stop every weapon," Flynn said. "When it's like that, someone's going to get off. This was a game for the guards today."
Villanova's star guard Scottie Reynolds, spent the entire game in foul trouble (much like the entire Wildcats team) and scored zero points in the first half. He finished with 12 points, five coming in the final minute when the game was already decided.
Stopping Reynolds was a team task, as was the defensive comeback by the Orange after a miserable beginning.
Villanova started the game shooting 12-for-14 and most of the baskets were easy ones in the paint.
"Once we got back here and kind of tightened it up a little bit, they missed a couple shots, I think they were 13-for-15 [sic] to start," Boeheim said. "I didn't realize that. It's a good thing I didn't realize that I probably would have quit."
But once Syracuse's zone defense solidified the interior, Villanova was forced to take jump shots - and missed most of them. That's when Greene started hitting his shots, Flynn became a scoring option and Harris created his drives to the hoop.
And through everything that's transpired in the past seven days, that six-man Syracuse team has emerged as a contender in the Big East.
"It's big," Harris said. "We just proved to everyone we can win on the road last game. Now we came out here and snuffed another one out."
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