Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski
First Half Run Keys Orange Victory
1/28/2016 9:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Syracuse uses a 23-1 run to dismantle Notre Dame
Head coach Jim Boeheim used his first timeout just 1:43 into play on Thursday night. His Orange had allowed a pair of early field goals to #25/rv Notre Dame, falling behind 5-0 in the opening possessions – but that was all the Orange needed to turn the tide.
On the night where the Orange fans dressed like their Hall of Fame coach on "Dress Like Coach Boeheim Night," it was only fitting that Boeheim's early instructions quelled the Fighting Irish's momentum and changed the complexion of the game.
From that point forward, Syracuse doubled-up Notre Dame 44-22 to close out the half, including a 23-1 run that spanned over eight minutes through the middle of the frame immediately following the timeout.
"Right off the bat, when they went up 5-0, we called timeout he was just saying that it's on us now," Lydon said. "He's been saying that every game is important, just like they have been but we just need to go out and play hard and that was the big message for us, just to go out and play hard."
Boehiem's advice was taken to heart by the Orange, who forced three Notre Dame turnovers on the defensive end and went 9-of-14 from the field over the ensuing eight minutes.
"I thought Trevor and Tyler [Lydon] really got us going in the first half offensively," Boeheim said. "Most teams are guarding him and it was pretty much just like the Bahamas. He got wide open looks and when they give them, he's got to take them and he makes those shots."
Over the course of the run, Trevor Cooney scored seven of his 15 first half points (20 total) in the duration of the run, with Tyler Roberson scoring seven and Tyler Lydon netting five in the run, which put Syracuse up 23-6 at the midway point in the first half.
"We were just knocking down shots and being aggressive and getting stops defensively," Lydon said. "There were a lot of things that went into it, but it was really just about being aggressive on defense and working hard."
Syracuse never trailed the rest of the game -- in fact Notre Dame never pulled back within single digits, as the Orange capped off the half with a late surge, capped off by Lydon's three-straight field goals in the final two minutes to put the exclamation point on a dominant first-half performance that allowed 'Cuse to cruise to an 81-66 win.
While the Orange shined on the offensive end, it was the defense that the players credited with their success on Thursday.
"It was all defense," Cooney said. "Yeah we made shots, but we were taking away the high post, contesting their shots, we were doing everything on defense and from that we were able to get out on offense and make some plays."
The Orange will continue their home stretch with two more dates in the Carrier Dome over the next-five days, beginning with a showdown against Georgia Tech at noon on Saturday.
On the night where the Orange fans dressed like their Hall of Fame coach on "Dress Like Coach Boeheim Night," it was only fitting that Boeheim's early instructions quelled the Fighting Irish's momentum and changed the complexion of the game.
From that point forward, Syracuse doubled-up Notre Dame 44-22 to close out the half, including a 23-1 run that spanned over eight minutes through the middle of the frame immediately following the timeout.
"Right off the bat, when they went up 5-0, we called timeout he was just saying that it's on us now," Lydon said. "He's been saying that every game is important, just like they have been but we just need to go out and play hard and that was the big message for us, just to go out and play hard."
Boehiem's advice was taken to heart by the Orange, who forced three Notre Dame turnovers on the defensive end and went 9-of-14 from the field over the ensuing eight minutes.
"I thought Trevor and Tyler [Lydon] really got us going in the first half offensively," Boeheim said. "Most teams are guarding him and it was pretty much just like the Bahamas. He got wide open looks and when they give them, he's got to take them and he makes those shots."
Over the course of the run, Trevor Cooney scored seven of his 15 first half points (20 total) in the duration of the run, with Tyler Roberson scoring seven and Tyler Lydon netting five in the run, which put Syracuse up 23-6 at the midway point in the first half.
"We were just knocking down shots and being aggressive and getting stops defensively," Lydon said. "There were a lot of things that went into it, but it was really just about being aggressive on defense and working hard."
Syracuse never trailed the rest of the game -- in fact Notre Dame never pulled back within single digits, as the Orange capped off the half with a late surge, capped off by Lydon's three-straight field goals in the final two minutes to put the exclamation point on a dominant first-half performance that allowed 'Cuse to cruise to an 81-66 win.
While the Orange shined on the offensive end, it was the defense that the players credited with their success on Thursday.
"It was all defense," Cooney said. "Yeah we made shots, but we were taking away the high post, contesting their shots, we were doing everything on defense and from that we were able to get out on offense and make some plays."
The Orange will continue their home stretch with two more dates in the Carrier Dome over the next-five days, beginning with a showdown against Georgia Tech at noon on Saturday.
Players Mentioned
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