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Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski
Analysis: Bench Responds to Boeheim's Challenge
12/10/2016 3:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Head coach Jim Boeheim preached needing to see more out of his bench during Syracuse's recent skid in which the Orange dropped three of their four contests heading into Saturday's game vs. Boston University.
But 'Cuse responded to the Hall of Fame coach's challenge on Saturday, recording 55 points off the bench, including a pair of double-figure scorers in John Gillon and Taurean Thompson, to race past the Terriers 99-77.
"Obviously we want guys to be able to come off the bench and score, and that's exactly what happened today," Boeheim said. "I think we were down 20-12 and John [Gillon] came in and hit a couple threes and made a few nice penetration plays and Taurean [Thompson], we knew is a very good offensive player, especially against zones. He gets in that area that hurts us and he's able to make that shot or pass out… John really saved the game in the first half."
Gillon, who hadn't scored in two-straight games mentioned that he had been working extra in the gym to get in the right mindset, staying in the Carmelo K. Anthony Center from 1-2 a.m. after the Orange returned from Madison Square Garden.
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"I've been having a lot going on lately and the only way I escape from some of it is to get in the gym," Gillon said. "Not to even get any work in, I just wanted to get away from it and get in the right mindset."
It worked. He tallied a team-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including draining six of his seven attempts from behind the arc. The Houston, Texas native also chipped in five boards and four assists in the victory.
"I'm getting myself together, trying to work harder and get better every day," Gillon said. "It feels good to come in and help the team tonight. [Coach Boeheim] said he was happy with the way some of us responded. I'm happy with that, I just want to do my job and help us win."
Thompson was the other standout performer on Saturday who responded to Boeheim's challenge.
After playing a combined 12 minutes and scoring just three points in the Orange's last two games, he finished with a career-high 22 against the Terriers in 19 minutes of action.
"Taurean is a really good player," Gillon said. "He's really about the 'bucket life.' He just comes in and doesn't have a conscious at all, he just comes in and plays and I love that about his game and I hope he never changes. Coming in and being able to do that for the team is really a boost."
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Thompson hauled in seven rebounds – which also tied a career high – and swatted a pair of BU shots on the day.
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"My jump shot was feeling good, I feel like we got off to a slow start and I wanted to impact the game as much as I could. I feel like personally we were going through the motions a little bit. It was a clean slate last practice and [Coach Boeheim] said everyone has a clean slate and we're going to start over. We needed to make strides back to where we were earlier."
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The Orange will hope to continue the bench scoring on Dec. 17 when 'Cuse welcomes a storied rival back to the Carrier Dome. Syracuse and Georgetown will square off at Noon on a day when the program will honor the life and legacy of Pearl Washington. Tickets are available at Cuse.com/Tickets.
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But 'Cuse responded to the Hall of Fame coach's challenge on Saturday, recording 55 points off the bench, including a pair of double-figure scorers in John Gillon and Taurean Thompson, to race past the Terriers 99-77.
"Obviously we want guys to be able to come off the bench and score, and that's exactly what happened today," Boeheim said. "I think we were down 20-12 and John [Gillon] came in and hit a couple threes and made a few nice penetration plays and Taurean [Thompson], we knew is a very good offensive player, especially against zones. He gets in that area that hurts us and he's able to make that shot or pass out… John really saved the game in the first half."
Gillon, who hadn't scored in two-straight games mentioned that he had been working extra in the gym to get in the right mindset, staying in the Carmelo K. Anthony Center from 1-2 a.m. after the Orange returned from Madison Square Garden.
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"I've been having a lot going on lately and the only way I escape from some of it is to get in the gym," Gillon said. "Not to even get any work in, I just wanted to get away from it and get in the right mindset."
It worked. He tallied a team-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including draining six of his seven attempts from behind the arc. The Houston, Texas native also chipped in five boards and four assists in the victory.
"I'm getting myself together, trying to work harder and get better every day," Gillon said. "It feels good to come in and help the team tonight. [Coach Boeheim] said he was happy with the way some of us responded. I'm happy with that, I just want to do my job and help us win."
Thompson was the other standout performer on Saturday who responded to Boeheim's challenge.
After playing a combined 12 minutes and scoring just three points in the Orange's last two games, he finished with a career-high 22 against the Terriers in 19 minutes of action.
"Taurean is a really good player," Gillon said. "He's really about the 'bucket life.' He just comes in and doesn't have a conscious at all, he just comes in and plays and I love that about his game and I hope he never changes. Coming in and being able to do that for the team is really a boost."
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Thompson hauled in seven rebounds – which also tied a career high – and swatted a pair of BU shots on the day.
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"My jump shot was feeling good, I feel like we got off to a slow start and I wanted to impact the game as much as I could. I feel like personally we were going through the motions a little bit. It was a clean slate last practice and [Coach Boeheim] said everyone has a clean slate and we're going to start over. We needed to make strides back to where we were earlier."
Â
The Orange will hope to continue the bench scoring on Dec. 17 when 'Cuse welcomes a storied rival back to the Carrier Dome. Syracuse and Georgetown will square off at Noon on a day when the program will honor the life and legacy of Pearl Washington. Tickets are available at Cuse.com/Tickets.
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