Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMBB | JUST ENOUGH: Syracuse limps to five-point win at lowly USF
By Jared Diamond
Posted: 1/3/09, 12:47 AM EST Section: Sports
The status of both players for Wednesday's contest against DePaul is unknown, but Boeheim was more optimistic about Harris' prognosis.
For much of the game, it didn't seem like the two injuries would matter. The Orange was dominant in the first half, pounding the ball inside against the undersized Bulls. At halftime, center Arinze Onuaku led all scorers with 11 points, USF had no real answer on defense and Syracuse held what appeared to be an insurmountable lead.
That's when the wheels nearly fell off entirely. South Florida guard Dominique Jones, who managed just two points in the first half, got hot. He scored 15 points, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, in the second half and found space in the Orange's 2-3 zone. At least two of the 3's were so wide open, Jones had time to take an extra second or two to set up before hoisting the ball up. Outside of Jones' four 3's, USF was 0-of-8 from deep.
"I was getting a little bit worried at the beginning of the second half," said SU guard Andy Rautins, who had a team-high 14 points while playing all 40 minutes. "We started to get sloppy, making a few turnovers. We can't let down our guard like that. We kind of got passive out there."
All the while, the misses for Syracuse continued to pile up, especially from the free-throw line. Onuaku was especially bad Friday, shooting 1-for-9 from the stripe, despite finishing the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
It led to the Bulls having a chance to tie the game with 36 seconds left, but Jones missed a 3. With little time left, USF fouled Devendorf, who came in for his shooting despite the injury. And when he coolly stepped up and knocked down two free throws to ice the game after a hellish second half, the decidedly pro-Syracuse crowd of 8,530 let out a collective sigh of relief.
"We really are struggling from the foul line right now, and it's the missed layups," Boeheim said. "To play so well in the first half, we should have had dominant control of the game."
jediamon@syr.edu
For much of the game, it didn't seem like the two injuries would matter. The Orange was dominant in the first half, pounding the ball inside against the undersized Bulls. At halftime, center Arinze Onuaku led all scorers with 11 points, USF had no real answer on defense and Syracuse held what appeared to be an insurmountable lead.
That's when the wheels nearly fell off entirely. South Florida guard Dominique Jones, who managed just two points in the first half, got hot. He scored 15 points, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, in the second half and found space in the Orange's 2-3 zone. At least two of the 3's were so wide open, Jones had time to take an extra second or two to set up before hoisting the ball up. Outside of Jones' four 3's, USF was 0-of-8 from deep.
"I was getting a little bit worried at the beginning of the second half," said SU guard Andy Rautins, who had a team-high 14 points while playing all 40 minutes. "We started to get sloppy, making a few turnovers. We can't let down our guard like that. We kind of got passive out there."
All the while, the misses for Syracuse continued to pile up, especially from the free-throw line. Onuaku was especially bad Friday, shooting 1-for-9 from the stripe, despite finishing the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
It led to the Bulls having a chance to tie the game with 36 seconds left, but Jones missed a 3. With little time left, USF fouled Devendorf, who came in for his shooting despite the injury. And when he coolly stepped up and knocked down two free throws to ice the game after a hellish second half, the decidedly pro-Syracuse crowd of 8,530 let out a collective sigh of relief.
"We really are struggling from the foul line right now, and it's the missed layups," Boeheim said. "To play so well in the first half, we should have had dominant control of the game."
jediamon@syr.edu
Be the first to comment on this story