Analyzing an Orange Comeback

The fact that Syracuse and Georgetown no longer belong to the same conference didn't seem to bother anyone in the Carrier Dome on Saturday. Not the 24,000-plus fans, not the players, not the coaches. The game between the Orange and Hoyas added to the lore of the series between the two schools.

Georgetown led virtually the entire first half and took a 35-22 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Syracuse's 22 points tied for its lowest first-half output of the season. The Orange shot just 25 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, including a 1-for-14 performance from 3-point range.

Trey Mourning scored the first basket after intermission to give the Hoyas their largest lead of the game of 15, 37-22. Tyus Battle responded with a 3-pointer, his first of the day. It didn't seem a like a big play at the time, but it was the start of what would be a very memorable day for the junior from Edison, N.J.

Battle's field goal sparked Syracuse on a 17-4 scoring run that cut Georgetown's lead to two, 41-39, at the 15:19 mark. He had 10 points during the offensive outburst, which was capped by a 3-pointer by sophomore Oshae Brissett.

Georgetown regrouped and extended its lead back to seven, 48-41, but Syracuse wouldn't go away. The Orange tallied the next nine points and redshirt sophomore Elijah Hughes' 3-pointer with 11:11 on the clock gave Syracuse its first lead since the first four minutes of the game.

The Orange built a six-point advantage but it was the Hoyas' turn to mount a comeback as a free throw by Josh LeBlanc evened the score at 60-60 with 5:51 remaining. The teams swapped baskets in the final five minutes. Trailing by one, 68-67, Syracuse was hoping that Battle's 3-pointer with 1:30 on the clock would give the Orange the lead for good, but Jessie Govan answered with his first field goal from behind the arc to give Georgetown a 70-71 lead with just 1:05 remaining.

Syracuse couldn't convert on its next possession, but got the ball back after the Hoyas were called for a charge, giving the Orange one last chance to win the game.

Battle brought the ball into the frontcourt, went one-on-one with his defender and buried his jumper with less than three seconds left to put Syracuse on top, 72-71. Georgetown's halfcourt shot went off the back of the rim and the Orange held on for the victory, their fifth in a row.

Battle finished with 26 points, which ties his season high. After a tough first half, he scored 21 of those points in the second half when he was 7-for-10 from the field, including 2-for-4 from 3-point range. He also had two assists and two steals after intermission.

"I challenged Tyus at halftime and said 'You cannot play like this' and he just stepped it up," said head coach Jim Boeheim. "He had a monster second half. Tyus made a couple big plays there. He just took it over. He had a phenomenal second half against a really good defensive team. He made some really, really tough shots. He was spectacular."

Syracuse University Athletics

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Tyus Battle

Oshae Brissett

Elijah Hughes

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