Battle, Hughes Lead Orange Past Morehead State
11/10/2018 9:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A pair of 20-point performances from Tyus Battle and Elijah Hughes led No. 16/14 Syracuse (2-0) past Morehead State (1-2), 84-70, Saturday night at the Carrier Dome. The contest was the Orange's second of the 2K Empire Classic.
Battle finished the night with a team-high 23 points followed by Hughes' career-high of 21. The duo both shot 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) from the field. Hughes notched a personal-best eight rebounds while matching his career-best mark of six free throws.
Oshae Brissett and Paschal Chukwu each recorded double-doubles for Syraucse. Brissett's 17 points came with a game-high 12 rebounds. Chukwu contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots in the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Morehead State shaved Syracuse's six-point, half-time margin to three on three different occasions in the first four minutes of the second half. With the Orange clinging to a 43-40 advantage, Syracuse went on a 12-0 run. The dominant stretch was keyed by seven points from Hughes. Syracuse maintained its lead for the remainder of the contest.
FIRST HALF FIRING
The Orange jumped ahead early, 7-0, on baskets from Hughes, Brissett and Chukwu. Hughes took advantage of a Morehead State turnover for his second basket of the night but the Eagles quickly responded with one on the other end. Chukwu snatched his second offensive rebound before laying in a basket giving the Orange an 11-4 lead. Brissett recorded back-to-back three-point plays as Syracuse went up 17-6. Through the first 10 minutes of play, the Orange made 10-of-18 from the field. Brissett scored 12 points during that span.
EAGLES TRY TO CLAW BACK
With a 14-point, 25-11, lead early in the first half, the Orange looked to have a strong hold on the game. In a little over three minutes, Morehead State notched four-consecutive baskets that resulted in a 10-0 run. It cut the Morehead State deficit to three, 25-21. A three-pointer from Hughes interrupted the run, but Morehead State responded with a layup followed by a pair of free-throws. The Eagles plucked the rebound off a missed jumper from 'Cuse, shrinking the Orange's lead to one, 28-27, on a layup. Morehead State had two chances at the line to take the lead but missed both set of free throws. The Orange shut down the comeback attempt, ending the half on a 6-2 scoring run.
COACH BOEHEIM'S THOUGHTS
"I think we learned a lot tonight, I think it's a good learning experience for us. And we move on."
OF NOTE
Syracuse will finish the 2K Empire Classic with a pair of games next week at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The first game is against Connecticut on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The second game will be against Iowa or Oregon on Friday, Nov. 16 at either 4:30 or 6:30 p.m.
Battle finished the night with a team-high 23 points followed by Hughes' career-high of 21. The duo both shot 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) from the field. Hughes notched a personal-best eight rebounds while matching his career-best mark of six free throws.
Oshae Brissett and Paschal Chukwu each recorded double-doubles for Syraucse. Brissett's 17 points came with a game-high 12 rebounds. Chukwu contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots in the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Morehead State shaved Syracuse's six-point, half-time margin to three on three different occasions in the first four minutes of the second half. With the Orange clinging to a 43-40 advantage, Syracuse went on a 12-0 run. The dominant stretch was keyed by seven points from Hughes. Syracuse maintained its lead for the remainder of the contest.
FIRST HALF FIRING
The Orange jumped ahead early, 7-0, on baskets from Hughes, Brissett and Chukwu. Hughes took advantage of a Morehead State turnover for his second basket of the night but the Eagles quickly responded with one on the other end. Chukwu snatched his second offensive rebound before laying in a basket giving the Orange an 11-4 lead. Brissett recorded back-to-back three-point plays as Syracuse went up 17-6. Through the first 10 minutes of play, the Orange made 10-of-18 from the field. Brissett scored 12 points during that span.
EAGLES TRY TO CLAW BACK
With a 14-point, 25-11, lead early in the first half, the Orange looked to have a strong hold on the game. In a little over three minutes, Morehead State notched four-consecutive baskets that resulted in a 10-0 run. It cut the Morehead State deficit to three, 25-21. A three-pointer from Hughes interrupted the run, but Morehead State responded with a layup followed by a pair of free-throws. The Eagles plucked the rebound off a missed jumper from 'Cuse, shrinking the Orange's lead to one, 28-27, on a layup. Morehead State had two chances at the line to take the lead but missed both set of free throws. The Orange shut down the comeback attempt, ending the half on a 6-2 scoring run.
COACH BOEHEIM'S THOUGHTS
"I think we learned a lot tonight, I think it's a good learning experience for us. And we move on."
OF NOTE
- 14 of Brissett's 17 points came in the first half.
- Syracuse outscored Morehead State from the foul line, 25-7. The Orange made 25-of-30 (.833) while the Eagles finished 7-of-12 (.583). Battle led the Orange with a 9-of-10 performance.
- Both teams ended the night with similar shooting percentages: Syracuse made 28-of-68 (.412) while Morehead State hit on 28-of-70 (.400).
- For the second-straight game the Orange won the battle at the boards. Syracuse out-rebounding the Eagles, 51-37.
- The defensive effort was led by eight blocked shots, including six from Chukwu
- The Orange started the same five for the second-straight game – Hughes, Brissett, Chukwu, Buddy Boeheim and Battle
Syracuse will finish the 2K Empire Classic with a pair of games next week at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The first game is against Connecticut on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The second game will be against Iowa or Oregon on Friday, Nov. 16 at either 4:30 or 6:30 p.m.
Team Stats
MOR-M
SYR
FG%
.400
.412
3FG%
.292
.188
FT%
.583
.833
RB
37
51
TO
12
14
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Jim Boeheim Mural Dedication
Monday, October 20
'Cuse Basketball is Back!
Friday, October 17
Adrian Autry Media Day Press Conference
Wednesday, October 15
ACC Tipoff Recap
Wednesday, October 08