Orange Handle Golden Grizzlies, 74-62

Wednesday, December 18

Syracuse, N.Y.

8 PM

Syracuse University

6-5,1-1ACC

Oakland

5-7,0-0Horizon

Oakland

Syracuse

12/18/2019 10:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Elijah Hughes' 23 points lifted Syracuse (6-5) over Oakland (5-7), 74-62, Wednesday night in the Dome. The Orange remain unbeaten in four contests against the Golden Grizzlies.

Joseph Girard III hit the 20-point mark for the second time of his freshman campaign and added a game-high seven assists in the victory.

STRUGGLE FOR EARLY POINTS
After scoring only one point in the first 3:11 of the game, Girard converted a four-point play to ignite the Orange offense.Hughes drilled a 3-pointer of his own on the next 'Cuse possession to give the Orange an 8-2 advantage. Oakland turned the ball over five times in the first five minutes and Bourama Sidibe had two steals.

The teams were a combined 5-for-21 from the field in the first eight and a half minutes.

A BOOST FROM BUDDY
With Syracuse clinging to a 12-11 lead, Buddy Boeheim scored the next 11 points for the Orange on two 3-pointers, three free throws and a jumper. The Orange led 23-17 with 8:33 remaining in the half, but the Golden Grizzlies trimmed the deficit back to one.

ELIJAH EXTENDS THE LEAD
Hughes began to heat up with a thunderous one-handed slam and followed that with a pair of 3-balls to give Syracuse a 41-33 cushion. The Orange took a 43-35 lead into halftime, Hughes leading the way with 15 points. Boeheim and Girard also ended the first 20 minutes in double figures with 11 points each and Sidibe grabbed five boards.

SIMILAR START IN THE SECOND
Syracuse opened its largest lead of the night, 51-39, early in the second half thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from Hughes and Boeheim. After a 5-0 Oakland run, Sidibe's fourth steal of the contest led to a slam by Marek Dolezaj on the fast break that put the Orange back up by double-digits, 55-44, with 13:41 remaining.

The Golden Grizzlies stayed hungry, putting together a 7-0 scoring push to make the score 55-51 in favor of Syracuse with 11:19 to play in the game.

ORANGE GET IT DONE
After battling back-and-forth for the next seven minutes, a pair of free throws from Girard and a layup from Sidibe gave the Orange a 70-60 advantage with 3:21 to go in regulation. Girard hit the 20-point mark for the second time this season with the two makes, becoming the first Syracuse freshman with multiple games with 20+ points since Oshae Brissett in 2017-18. The Orange would coast from that point to the 12-point victory.

Gallery: (12/18/2019) MBB muzzles Golden Grizzlies

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Sidibe led both squads with 13 rebounds. It was his second double-digit board effort of the campaign.
Girard hit all seven of his attempts from the free throw line, and is now 32-of-33 on the season. He entered the contest ranked third nationally in free-throw percentage.
Girard posted a game high seven assists.
Sidibe's four steals led both teams. The Orange totaled 11 swipes on the evening.
Hughes has now reached double-figures in scoring in 12 consecutive games. Boeheim has hit the double-figure mark in 11 straight contests.

UP NEXT
The Orange welcome North Florida to the Dome on Saturday, Dec. 21. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.

Fans unsure of their cable provider carries ACCN are encouraged to visit GetACCN.com

Tickets for North Florida and all regular-season home games are on sale now online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Dome Box Office located in the Ensley Athletic Center.

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow us on Twitter (@Cuse_MBB), Instagram (cuse_mbb) and like us on Facebook (SyracuseOrange).