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PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Joe Girard III received the pass on the wing with his feet set beyond the arc. As a defender closed out, Girard pump-faked, reset his feet and fired. 

A make would have extended Syracuse’s lead to four points with less than four minutes to go. It would have been a chance to grab a critical road, nonconference win to bolster the Orange’s NCAA Tournament resume early in the season.

But the shot clanked off the front of the rim. Freshman Kadary Richmond surged in an attempt for the rebound putback but missed, and Rutgers broke out in transition and recaptured the lead for good on a second chance putback. All night, the Scarlet Knights fought for those second-chance opportunities and missed theirs — until that one. 

Usurped by Richmond with the primary ball-handling duties, Girard finished with three points and six assists. But much like Girard’s two shots to win the game against Bryant in the season-opener, a basket in a big moment could have saved the game for Syracuse. Instead, frequent SU misses and far too infrequent defensive stops in the game’s final minutes led to an 11-0 Rutgers run.

“Our guards did a really good job of taking Girard out of the game,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. 

Syracuse entered Tuesday night’s matchup against No. 21 Rutgers with more questions than answers about how they’d cope with the injury to Bourama Sidibe against one of the nation’s best defenses and more physical rebounding units. The Orange are replacing Elijah Hughes, their reliable crunch-time scorer last season. They were without Buddy Boeheim, their natural replacement for Hughes’ offensive production. While SU battled back from early offensive struggles and even led by three late at the Rutgers Athletic Center, the Scarlet Knights’ (4-0) superior execution in the final minutes pushed them ahead for the 79-69 win over the Orange (3-1). 

“We gave ourselves an opportunity to win, and then we made two or three bad plays, and our defense broke down,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “Their point guard got all the way to the basket and got two layups.”

Minutes into the game, Syracuse’s offense — which had shone early in the season against easier opponents — failed to match the intensity and ball pressure provided by the Scarlet Knights. 

Boeheim called a 30-second timeout following a Syracuse turnover that pushed the Scarlet Knights’ lead to double digits. When the Orange dribbled the ball up the court, multiple members of the Rutgers bench called out the offensive set SU was planning to run.

Rutgers forced a long, contested 3 that clanked off the front of the rim and — for the third time in the first half — the Scarlet Knights knew exactly what the Orange were trying to attempt offensively.

Syracuse’s offense slowly found life, but it didn’t come from the usual sources. Girard’s only points came on the final shot of the first half; he finished 1-of-8 on the night. Buddy wasn’t available to play because of COVID-19 contact tracing. Instead, Alan Griffin showcased his improved dribble penetration and also hit a stepback 3 for a personal 5-0 run in the first half to cut the Scarlet Knights’ deficit. But it wasn’t until Richmond became the primary ball handler that the Orange were able to cope with the ball pressure and get better looks. 

At the other end, Boeheim turned to redshirt freshman center John Bol Ajak as the first player off the bench to battle Rutgers’ physical frontcourt. While Ajak nabbed an early offensive rebound and assist, he also struggled to box out defensively and missed an open baseline jump shot off the side of the glass. 

Buddy should return Saturday for Syracuse’s first Atlantic Coast Conference matchup against Boston College, but SU will be without Sidibe for at least a few more weeks. Ajak’s emergence as a serviceable backup center option could be key going forward.

“We’re going to have problems on the boards against good rebounding teams. Our young centers are nowhere ready to play, and we see that every day in practice,” Boeheim said. “I thought (Ajak) did some positive things out there.”

Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier (pictured against Rider) had 18 points in Syracuse’s 79-69 loss to Rutgers. Courtesy of Dennis Nett | Syracuse.com

As inconsistent as the Syracuse offense was in the opening frame, they were down just four. Once the Orange came out of the half, Quincy Guerrier and Ron Harper Jr. traded baskets. The Orange’s forward — who Boeheim says has always shot the 3 well in practice — finally showcased that ability in-game. 

He generated open looks on the pick-and-pop game with Richmond and Girard. The two point guards, as Boeheim referred to them postgame, combined for 13 assists. When Guerrier was matched up with 6-foot-11 center Myles Johnson, he beat him off the dribble for an easy lay-in. When Guerrier hit a 3, Harper often fired right back with 3s of his own. The Wooden Award Watch List forward hit a pull-up jumper from the free throw line in traffic, prompting Boeheim to call timeout with the Rutgers lead extended back to five points again. 

“That’s a big part of his game if he can make 3s,” Boeheim said of Guerrier. “He had zero offensive rebounds. He’s got to be able to mix it up and get in for some rebounds.”

The possession prior to Harper’s basket, the Orange had flirted with the lead. After a 6-0 run, the Orange took it back.

With Richmond bringing the ball up the court more often and the Orange finally forcing turnovers and running out in transition, Syracuse posted 19 second-half points in the opening seven minutes, after they didn’t reach 19 until there were less than six minutes left in the first. 

Syracuse’s best defensive stretch of the night came with about eight minutes to play, when the Scarlet Knights’ settled for long 3s and the Orange were getting easy baskets in transition. When Pikiell called timeout with his Scarlet Knights down three with seven to go, SU was in position to steal a resume-building road win without two starters. 

But Syracuse forced bad shots, gave away turnovers and reverted back to its first half ways.

“Joe got frustrated and took a couple long threes; Alan did that too. We can’t take those shots,” Boeheim said.

Rutgers’ offense took advantage of the Orange’s zone that Boeheim said allowed too much penetration past the guards and received not enough support in the lane from the forwards. Without Sidibe as a shot blocker, contested twos became lay-ups. 

While Rutgers had Harper pouring in 26 points on 13 shots, Syracuse didn’t have anyone in the game’s final moments. The Scarlet Knights ended the game on a 17-4 run, burying Syracuse’s chances of an upset.

Published on December 8, 2020 at 11:55 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo