Syracuse collected itself for a much-needed win in the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon. SU (6-3) coasted past Boston University (4-6), 99-77, to snap out of a stretch that included three losses in four games.

The Big Moment: Syracuse’s 19-5 run to start the second half

Leading by only six out of the half, the Orange was locked in another tight affair against an opponent most expected SU to brush past. It took 20 minutes, but Syracuse bolted out of the second half to squish any hopes BU had of stealing a road win.

Andrew White, Taurean Thompson and Tyus Battle each knocked down a 3 in the opening 2:25, and it wasn’t much longer until Syracuse was sitting comfortably with a 20-point lead after five minutes of second-half play.

Stud: Taurean Thompson

The 6-foot-10 freshman emerged on Saturday with the biggest game of his young career. He anchored SU’s frontcourt, coming off the bench to score a 22 points and leaving senior big man Dajuan Coleman with minimal playing time. To Coleman’s credit, he entered the day averaging 29 minutes and 14 points in his last three games. Thompson played well enough to keep the senior planted on the bench.

Thompson excelled under the basket and was created space in spots there appeared to be none. Jammed up against multiple BU defenders in the first half, Thompson ran a mini tip drill and elevated twice under the hoop to lay in a basket that pushed Syracuse ahead by eight. He started the second half with nine points in less than four minutes to punctuate what had already been his most productive performance.

Boeheim lauded Thompson earlier this season, dubbing him “our best mid-post player and making plays out of the post.” He showed it against the Terriers.

Dud: Frank Howard

The sophomore point guard was bailed out big time by John Gillon. Howard didn’t do much to improve off his 0-for-9 shooting performance against UConn on Monday, shooting only 0-for-5 against BU. He did stitch together his third double-digit assist game of the year, which is a more significant figure than his point total. But as evidenced by the Battle-for-Roberson switch in the starting lineup, Boeheim isn’t afraid to make changes. We’ll see how long Howard’s leash is.

Highlight: Thompson’s first career 3-pointer

Amid SU’s second-half tear and a career day for Thompson, one shot stuck out in particular. There wasn’t much glamor to it, but the 6-foot-10 big man worked his way into an open window behind the arc. Howard zipped the ball promptly to Thompson, and with clean look at the basket Thompson buried the first 3 of his career. At the time, it was his 17th points of the game.

Lowlight: Tyler Roberson fouling Cedric Hankerson’s 3-point shot

Hankerson set a record by making 10-of-20 3-pointers on Saturday, the most made 3s of any opponent in the Carrier Dome. One shot he didn’t make came after getting bumped by Roberson. The beleaguered senior has already been relegated from his starting duties, and despite making a pair of shots, didn’t inspire a movement to reclaim his starting post.

X-factor: John Gillon

After going scoreless in his last two games, the fifth-year point guard took the reins in driving SU’s offense on Tuesday. He dropped in a team-high 23 points while playing 28 minutes, significantly more than starting point guard Frank Howard. Gillon shined behind the arc, making a season-high six 3s and spreading the floor for the Orange.

That allowed Thompson to chip in with 12 points in 13 first-half minutes. It also meant that when Boeheim tabbed Howard to come in and run point with Gillon still on the floor, he was freed from ball-handling duties to hunt for shots. He did just that, giving SU a much-needed pick-me-up after three losses in four games.

Published on December 10, 2016 at 2:44 pm