In their 96th meeting, Syracuse served Georgetown its 8th loss of the season. 74-69 was the final from the Carrier Dome. The Orange showcased ball movement and hustle on the boards in their bounce-back performance.
Though the record doesn‚Äôt really reflect it, it‚Äôs been an up-and-down year for SU, and despite Georgetown not being the strongest opponent in the nation, this is a great win. For one, it‚Äôs always great to beat a rival, and two, after the loss to Pitt, the Orange NEEDED to put something in the win column. Syracuse saw a few guys have comeback performances. Joe Girard first and foremost. He‚Äôs under-achieved for the most part this season, but against the Hoyas, the Glens Falls native did anything but. Girard poured in 18 including some clutch shots from deep down the stretch. That may not be an indication of what he can provide this team every night out, but it‚Äôs a representation of the potential he has. Quincy Guerrier was great tonight as well. After a 3-point performance in the loss to the Panthers, the Candyman stepped up. 12 points with 9 rebounds up against a Hoyas squad a lot bigger than him. Qudus Wahab, Georgetown‚Äôs most talented big man, was kept relatively quiet. Despite having height and weight on any and every Orange player, the Nigeria native was a non-factor on the boards, just a single rebound alongside a measly 9 points. Buddy Boeheim was SU’s prime scorer tonight, his 21 points fueled the Orange victory as his clutch shooting kept Georgetown in the dust at the game’s most crucial points.
Marek Dolezaj has been one of the only consistent players the Orange have on the roster this season. The Slender Slovakian puts his toughness on display every time out, this game was no exception. Nearing the second-half buzzer, Dolezaj lost a significant part of his tooth in a scuffle for a rebound. It wasn’t what he was worried about, however, he stayed in the game and helped Syracuse secure the victory.
Robert Braswell was also a huge contributor. It wasn’t due to his scoring though. The redshirt sophomore provided an instant impact on defense with 3 steals and a block Coach Boeheim referred to as the play of the game
Braswell is proving to be a great asset off the bench for SU. Last time out, 12 points from behind the arc alone, this time lit it up on the defensive end.
Overall, tonight’s rebounding effort was the game-changer. If SU had a performance like this under the basket against Pitt, the outcome would’ve been different. Hopefully, the Orange get Bourama Sidibe back soon, his help on the boards could make this a totally different team.
