Syracuse, N.Y. ― The Syracuse Orange avoided a huge upset with an 85-84 win over Bryant in the season-opener for both teams at the Carrier Dome on Friday.
Had their been any fans in the stands, they wouldn’t have exhaled until Bryant missed two shots to win the game in the final seconds.
After Syracuse’s Quincy Guerrier and Marek Dolezaj both missed the front end of 1-and-1 free-throw opportunities with 12 and 11 seconds left; respectively, the Bulldogs pushed the ball upcourt with a chance to win the game.
But Bryant’s Peter Kiss missed on a 3-pointer from the corner and Michael Green’s short jumper on the follow came up short.
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After the Orange survived a game it probably should have lost, a Bulldogs player slammed the ball off the court in frustration after the final buzzer.
Buddy Boeheim led Syracuse with 23 points, while Dolezaj finished with 20 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Guerrier, who started the first game of his career, compiled a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
“As soon as the game started, it was going to go down to the wire or we were going to lose‚’’ said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who said he made a mistake by going ahead with the game even though his team had just one day of practice after a 12-day pause. “I foolishly thought we could (play). We just didn’t have any rhythm.’’
Bryant led for most of the game, including a 13-point edge early in the second half.
Joe Girard, who had struggled mightily throughout the game, connected on a long 3-pointer to give Syracuse an 83-82 lead with 2:27 remaining.
It was a “No! No! Yes!’’ shot as Girard who was 1-for-12 on the day to that point, pulled up from well beyond the top of the key.
Boeheim said it was the worst game he had ever seen Girard play, “but we survived it.’’
Marek Dolezaj hit both ends of a one-and-one with 22 seconds left for an 85-82 lead.
Bryant closed to within 85-84 on Green’s floater with 12 seconds remaining. That’s when Guerrier and Dolezaj missed on their free throws to give the Bulldogs one last chance — that turned into two last chances — to win the game.
But the Bulldogs, who shot the ball incredibly well in the first half, couldn’t make either of the two shots.
The Syracuse players seemed to show the effects of a 12-day layoff due to two positive coronavirus tests — Boeheim and an unidentified player — within the program
Bryant seemed to have more energy and was much sharper, especially in the first half.
The score was tied at 41 with three minutes left in the half, but Bryant scored 10 straight to take a 51-41 lead. Buddy Boeheim’s 3-pointer at the buzzer snapped Bryant’s run.
Chris Childs, a transfer from Indian Hills Community College in Iowa, where he was second-team All-American last year, scored 15 points in the first half for Bryant. Childs shredded the SU zone, hitting five of his six 3-point attempts in the opening half. Bryant led 63-50 after Peter Kiss’ 3-pointer with 16 minutes left in the game.
Syracuse still trailed 73-66, but Buddy Boeheim buried back-to-back 3-pointers to draw the Orange to within 73-72 with 8:11 remaining.
Girard had missed his first 11 shots from the field, but he knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Syracuse a 75-73 lead with 6:04 left in the game.
Charles Pride, the Liverpool High School standout, put Bryant back on top with a 3-pointer for a 78-77 lead. Pride would finish with 15 points.
Syracuse’s defense was a problem last season, and it was again on Friday.
Syracuse scored 44 points in the first half but still trailed by seven points at the break after giving up a whopping 51 points in the first 20 minutes.
More Syracuse basketball:
Syracuse still struggles to guard teams (Donna Ditota’s quick hits)
You grade the Orange after win over Bryant
Axe: Syracuse basketball fan to miss first home game in 40 years on Friday
Will Syracuse add any more games or is the schedule complete? (Mike’s Mailbox)
