Syracuse (3-0) continued its perfect start to the season with a 66-55 win over Elon (2-2) Saturday night. Here are three thoughts from the win in the Carrier Dome.

Stepping up

Tyler Roberson played just 21 minutes in Syracuse’s season opener and then fouled out against St. Bonaventure on Tuesday. Against Elon, though, he played his most complete game of the season, scoring 20 points and hauling in 16 rebounds.

Syracuse had fallen behind by a point but Roberson capped off a 10-0 rally, slashing to the basket from the baseline and catching a no-look pass from Kaleb Joseph. He laid the ball in and was fouled to cap off a 14-point first half for the forward.

In the second half, he picked up a 3 air balled by Malachi Richardson and tapped it in. On the next possession he flew to the ground to scoop up another loose ball. SU head coach Jim Boeheim had said he didn’t see much from the junior a week ago, but it was impossible not to see his contributions against Elon.

No lead is safe

It was a game of runs on Saturday. Two Michael Gbinije 3-pointers and an and-one from Roberson boosted Syracuse to a 12-2 lead. But two 3-pointers from Dainan Swoope and then two free throws from Jack Anton more than three minutes later capped off an 18-7 Phoenix run.

After Syracuse rebutted with a 10-0 run, Swoope again hit a 3. Boeheim flung his fist so hard in frustration that his tie flipped back over his shoulder. Elon continued to hit big shots from 3. Luke Eddy tied the game by hitting a wide-open 3 from the top of the key. He froze his follow motion above his head as he drifted down court and Boehiem called a timeout.

It wasn’t until Syracuse again responded with a 10-0 run that the Orange created enough breathing room to win the game.

Backing off

Syracuse boasted throughout the preseason that it would be a more 3-point heavy offense. Thirty-four attempts from long range against Lehigh was evidence of that. But it was a plan that Syracuse went away from a bit in the second half against St. Bonaventure. And on Saturday, the Orange played much more in transition and attacked the basket.

SU shot 6-of-15 from long range. When Richardson struggled to hit from behind the arc, he attacked the rim and went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. The Orange scored 10 points on the fast break compared to just six for the Phoenix.

Published on November 21, 2015 at 9:01 pm