'Cuse vs. Iona: Battle Takes Over

Late in the second half, Syracuse was struggling to pull away from Iona. Each time the Orange put some distance between themselves and the Gaels, Iona would fight back. That was the case when the Gaels used an 11-5 run to cut a nine-point deficit down to two with 5:37 remaining. Then, sophomore Tyus Battle, in the words of head coach Jim Boeheim, took over the game.

Battle hit two straight jumpers to spark Syracuse on a 9-1 scoring run that put the Orange up by 10, 65-55. He had six of the nine points and capped the run with a jumper at the 2:35 mark. Battle tallied his final points on a dunk with 47 seconds remaining, giving him a career-high 28 on the night.

"The player of the game was obviously Tyus," Boeheim said. "He made the plays that had to be made."

How important was Battle in the final five-plus minutes? He accounted for eight of Syracuse's final 15 points. Battle was 9-for-13 from the field and scored 23 of his 28 points after intermission.

"I live for stuff like this," Battle said. "I was trying to be aggressive and will the team to a win. Iona is a really great team, that made some tough shots. It was a good team effort all around from us tonight."

Battle's teammates were not surprised by his second-half performance.

"You know he has that, anytime," said starting point guard Frank Howard. "He can change the game with his scoring ability. There is talent. He told me before half started that he wanted the ball and I got it to him and he did his thing."

Battle is Syracuse's leading scorer through the first two contests of the season, averaging 23.0 points per game. He's made 17 of his 33 shots for an impressive 51.5 shooting percentage. Battle finished his rookie campaign on a high note, reaching double figures in scoring in the Orange's final seven games – a fact that gave his head coach high expectations for this season.

"I think at the end of last year he was playing just like this," Boeheim said. "He is more confident and stronger. He knows what he has to do. Last year we had options. We had Andrew (White), Tyler(Lydon), and John (Gillon), who could all score for us. This year Tyus is the main guy."

Battle and the Orange are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 18 against Texas Southern at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Tickets for all of Syracuse's home games can be purchased at the Syracuse Box Office, on Cuse.com, or by calling 888-DOMETIX.

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