Strong Second Half Pushes Orange Past #16 Ohio State

Wednesday, November 28

Columbus, OH

7:15

Syracuse University

4-2

Ohio State

6-1

Syracuse

Ohio State

Strong Second Half Pushes Orange Past #16 Ohio State

11/28/2018 9:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Jim Boeheim Press Conference Elijah Hughes Interview

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A strong second half, highlighted by double-digit performances from Tyus Battle, Oshae Brissett and Elijah Hughes, helped lift the Syracuse basketball team to a 72-62 victory over #16 Ohio State.

Battle finished the night with 20 points on a 6-of-10 shooting performance. 11 of Brissett's 14 points came in the second half where he shot 3-of-6 after contributing just one field goal in the first half. Hughes rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers with 18, including a career-high four three-pointers.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Brissett wasted no time in the second half, tying the game at 31 on the team's first shot of the period. The Orange went on a 10-2 run for a 39-33 lead, spurred by seven points from Brissett. The Buckeyes turned it right back around with a 10-2 run of their own grabbing a 43-41 lead. Syracuse halted any Ohio State comeback attempt with an 11-0 run, taking the lead for good, 55-45.

A three-pointer by Keyshawn Woods helped Ohio State pull within seven, 59-52, but back-to-back baskets by Howard and Battle gave Syracuse its largest lead of the night, 64-52, that the Orange would hold onto.

HOT AND COLD BUCKEYES
Ohio State grabbed an early 9-2 lead opening the game going 4-for-4. Brissett quickly shifted the momentum with a three-pointer that sparked a scoreless two minutes for the Buckeyes. Syracuse was unable to take advantage with a pair of fouls as Ohio State finally sunk a basket going up 12-5. Back-to-back baskets from Hughes and Battle nearly erased the seven-point deficit, 16-14, before a three-pointer by Marek Dolezaj forced the second tie of the game at 17.

Both teams continued to find an answer for each other, as neither squad was able to grab more than a four-point lead in the first half. Ohio State was unable to find an answer in the second half shooting 6-of-24 (25 percent) from the field and 2-of-10 (20 percent) from three-point range.

COACH BOEHEIM'S THOUGHTS
"Our overall defense was good," said head coach Jim Boeheim. "We guarded the three-point line better than we have all year. We did a good job inside but it was Tyus and really Oshae, and Elijah in the second half that made some big plays."

OF NOTE

The Orange finished the night shooting 22-of-45 for a season-high 48.9 field goal percentage
Syracuse's season-high 11 three-pointers are the most for the Orange since March 4, 2016 in the ACC Tournament. Syracuse knocked down 15 in a 90-61 win over Georgia Tech.
Battle, Brissett and Hughes combined for 34 of Syracuse's 43 second-half points
Syracuse moves to 3-3 all-time in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge
Hughes' four three-pointers on eight attempts marks the second-straight game he has shot above 50 percent from beyond the arc.
Paschal Chukwu led the Orange with seven rebounds. Chukwu has now snatched six or more rebounds in three games this season.

UP NEXT
The Orange start a stretch of seven consecutive home games Dec. 1 when they host Cornell at 8 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Tickets can be purchased online at Cuse.com, by phone at 1-888-DOMETIX and in person at Gate B at the Carrier Dome.

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