SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The host Syracuse Orange used a 15-3 run in the opening five minutes of
the second half and then used a late 11-0 run with less than 5:00 left in
regulation time to defeat Canisius College 85-61 Saturday night in the Carrier
Dome in the first game of the Chevrolet Gotham Classic. The No. 4 ranked Orange
move to 9-0 on the year with the win, while the Golden Griffins see their
three-game winning streak come to an end as the team's record moves to 6-2
overall.
Junior Billy Baron and senior Isaac
Sosa each scored a team-high 15 points in the game, with Baron pulling down
a game-high seven rebounds and Sosa shooting 5-for-9 from behind the arc.
Canisius held a 37-34 lead on the glass, including 16 offensive boards. The
Griffs couldn't overcome a season-high 19 turnovers as Syracuse also shot 54.8
percent from the field, including 8-for-14 on 3-pointers.
"I thought we did a good job tonight
of going and getting the ball off the glass, and we played really scrappy. We
just didn't make enough shots when we had to tonight," Canisius coach Jim Baron said. "In the first half, we
were able to get into the gaps of their zone and knock down some shots. In the
second half, Syracuse made its adjustments and took that away from us. They are
the number four team in the country for a reason."
Syracuse jumped out to a quick 11-4
lead less than four minutes into the game as the Orange made five of seven
shots during that spurt. The Griffs battled back by scoring eight of the next
10 points to get within one at 13-12 on a layup from Baron. Syracuse pushed its
lead back to nine points on a 3-pointer from Michael Carter-Williams to go up
23-14. The Griffs would trim the lead to two points after layups from senior Harold Washington and Baron to make it
25-23. The Orange scored the next five points to take a 30-23 lead, but
Canisius scored the next nine points to take its only lead of the game. Sosa
and junior Jordan Heath drained
3-pointers and sophomore Josiah Heath
converted a traditional three-point play to put Canisius up 32-30 with 2:23
left in the half. Syracuse closed the half by scoring the final five points, including
a basket from Brandon Triche as the first-half buzzer sounded to give the
Orange a 35-32 halftime lead.
Syracuse extended that five-point
run to 11 consecutive points as the Orange scored the first six points of the
second half. Canisius ended a field-goal drought of 5:55 with a layup from
junior Reggie Groves to make the
score 45-35 with 16:34 left in the half. Syracuse scored five straight points
to go up by 15, and Canisius would cut the deficit to 12 points on three
separate occasions, including a 3-pointer from Sosa with 4:17 left to make the
score 69-57. Syracuse then put the game away by scoring 11 straight points en
route to their 29th consecutive home win, extending the longest
streak in the nation.
Carter-Williams had 12 points and a
game-high 14 assists. Triche scored 19 points while James Southerland had 21
points in 32 minutes off the bench on 9-of-14 shooting.
Canisius will return home for the
first time in nearly a month on Monday, Dec. 17, when the team plays host to
Longwood. Game time in the Koessler Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m. The game
will be televised on tape delay by Time Warner SportsChannel.
Game Notes: Saturday's game was the 70th
all-time meeting between the schools. Syracuse now leads the series 46-24... The
Orange have won 21 straight games over the Golden Griffins... Sosa's 15 points
are a season high for the senior and his five makes on 3-pointers are also a
season high... Senior Alshwan Hymes
moved into sole possession of second place on the school's career 3-point field
goals made list with 186... Canisius out-rebounded its opponent for the fourth
consecutive game... Canisius made 12 3-pointers in the game and has now made 38
3-pointers in the last three games, shooting 46.3 percent from behind the arc
during that stretch... Canisius shot 35.1 percent from the floor, the first time
this season the Griffs didn't shoot 40 percent or better.
