Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMBB | Strong start keys decisive win over Oakland
By Michael Bonner
Posted: 11/21/08, 10:53 PM EST Section: Sports
"I think this was one of the most unselfish games I've played at Syracuse," point guard Jonny Flynn said. "People were passing up open layups to get other people shots. And no one cared who was getting the basketball."
The passing allowed the Orange to get open looks and cash in from all over the court. Flynn, who had a game-high 18 points, scored 12 of them in the first half. The sophomore guard shot 3-of-4 from the floor and 2-of-3 beyond the arc.
Flynn credited the SU defense with sparking easy, transition buckets. With the Orange up by 15, Rick Jackson came up with back-to-back blocks of Johnathon Jones, Oakland's leading scorer coming into the game. Jackson outletted the ball quickly to Devendorf who found Flynn streaking to the basket for an easy layup to increase the Orange lead to 17.
The largest lead the Orange held in the first was 22, and it entered the locker room up by 19. In the first 20 minutes the Orange shot 58 percent from the field including 45.5 percent from deep. In all, nine players saw action and scored at least a point.
"We moved the ball pretty well in the first half and took control of the game," Boeheim said. "I think whenever you get a big lead, in the second half we tended to ease up a little bit on the defensive end."
The Orange came out strong in the second, buoying the lead to 24, only to have the Golden Grizzlies go on an 8-0 run in 46 seconds. Oakland would cut the lead to 14 at one point, but with just under 12 minutes remaining Syracuse crippled any hopes of an Oakland comeback with a 9-0 stretch of its own.
But it was the Orange's stellar first half play that allowed the team to pad a large enough lead that it never had to look back.
After the game, Flynn was asked if his team could play any better in the first half. His response?
"I don't think so."
mibonner@syr.edu
The passing allowed the Orange to get open looks and cash in from all over the court. Flynn, who had a game-high 18 points, scored 12 of them in the first half. The sophomore guard shot 3-of-4 from the floor and 2-of-3 beyond the arc.
Flynn credited the SU defense with sparking easy, transition buckets. With the Orange up by 15, Rick Jackson came up with back-to-back blocks of Johnathon Jones, Oakland's leading scorer coming into the game. Jackson outletted the ball quickly to Devendorf who found Flynn streaking to the basket for an easy layup to increase the Orange lead to 17.
The largest lead the Orange held in the first was 22, and it entered the locker room up by 19. In the first 20 minutes the Orange shot 58 percent from the field including 45.5 percent from deep. In all, nine players saw action and scored at least a point.
"We moved the ball pretty well in the first half and took control of the game," Boeheim said. "I think whenever you get a big lead, in the second half we tended to ease up a little bit on the defensive end."
The Orange came out strong in the second, buoying the lead to 24, only to have the Golden Grizzlies go on an 8-0 run in 46 seconds. Oakland would cut the lead to 14 at one point, but with just under 12 minutes remaining Syracuse crippled any hopes of an Oakland comeback with a 9-0 stretch of its own.
But it was the Orange's stellar first half play that allowed the team to pad a large enough lead that it never had to look back.
After the game, Flynn was asked if his team could play any better in the first half. His response?
"I don't think so."
mibonner@syr.edu
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