Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMBB | Size inside helps SU outplays smaller Dolphin man defense
By Michael Bonner
Posted: 11/17/08, 3:12 AM EST Section: Sports
As Syracuse walked onto the court, it clearly had a distinct advantage. Arinze Onuaku, Paul Harris and even Kristof Ongenaet dwarfed their defenders.
When the undersized Le Moyne squad opened in man-to-man, Harris' eyes lit up.
"Oh, when they went man, that was like a blessing, honestly." Harris said.
The Orange beat the Dolphins, 85-51, by storming out of the gates to a 13-0 run over the first 4:33. Midway through the first half, SU extended the lead to 21-6.
Onuaku is listed at 6-foot-9, 275 pounds. Harris, 6-foot-4, 230, and Ongenaet, starting at power forward, is 6-foot-8, 215. All three starters outweighed the Dolphins' biggest player, who measures at 6-foot-7, 210.
"Obviously, playing man-to-man, we were able to get the ball right inside quick," head coach Jim Boeheim said. "And we got a couple, two or three easy baskets. You know they're not big and strong enough to play us in a man-to-man."
Two of the first five trips down the floor ended with Le Moyne hacking Onuaku. He didn't get on the board until the 10:57 mark of the first half, but his presence alone in the post created offense for the Orange.
In the man defense, once the ball was thrown into Onuaku, Le Moyne had to collapse down. This usually left someone on the Orange open.
"They can't hang with Arinze down there, they're going to have to double team him every time," said SU guard Andy Rautins, who finished with a career-high nine assists.
"And you know a double team leads to a kick out and a wide-open 3. We just did a great job of exploiting their defense tonight."
It's how the game started. Harris went up for a layup and was stripped. As the Le Moyne defenders collapsed down low, Eric Devendorf hit a 3-pointer to give the Orange a 3-0 lead.
The Orange was getting open looks from beyond the arc, but it wasn't executing. Syracuse shot 5-of-24 (20.8 percent) from long range. But the misfires led to points. Eight of the Orange's first 19 points came as a result of missed 3-point shots that were followed up by SU. Syracuse finished the game with 20 second-chance points on 19 offensive rebounds. By comparison, the Dolphins finished with 20 defensive boards.
When the undersized Le Moyne squad opened in man-to-man, Harris' eyes lit up.
"Oh, when they went man, that was like a blessing, honestly." Harris said.
The Orange beat the Dolphins, 85-51, by storming out of the gates to a 13-0 run over the first 4:33. Midway through the first half, SU extended the lead to 21-6.
Onuaku is listed at 6-foot-9, 275 pounds. Harris, 6-foot-4, 230, and Ongenaet, starting at power forward, is 6-foot-8, 215. All three starters outweighed the Dolphins' biggest player, who measures at 6-foot-7, 210.
"Obviously, playing man-to-man, we were able to get the ball right inside quick," head coach Jim Boeheim said. "And we got a couple, two or three easy baskets. You know they're not big and strong enough to play us in a man-to-man."
Two of the first five trips down the floor ended with Le Moyne hacking Onuaku. He didn't get on the board until the 10:57 mark of the first half, but his presence alone in the post created offense for the Orange.
In the man defense, once the ball was thrown into Onuaku, Le Moyne had to collapse down. This usually left someone on the Orange open.
"They can't hang with Arinze down there, they're going to have to double team him every time," said SU guard Andy Rautins, who finished with a career-high nine assists.
"And you know a double team leads to a kick out and a wide-open 3. We just did a great job of exploiting their defense tonight."
It's how the game started. Harris went up for a layup and was stripped. As the Le Moyne defenders collapsed down low, Eric Devendorf hit a 3-pointer to give the Orange a 3-0 lead.
The Orange was getting open looks from beyond the arc, but it wasn't executing. Syracuse shot 5-of-24 (20.8 percent) from long range. But the misfires led to points. Eight of the Orange's first 19 points came as a result of missed 3-point shots that were followed up by SU. Syracuse finished the game with 20 second-chance points on 19 offensive rebounds. By comparison, the Dolphins finished with 20 defensive boards.
Be the first to comment on this story