Remnants of Tyus Battle’s 32 points and Syracuse’s shocking January upset over No. 1 at Cameron Indoor Stadium showed in the first half. The Orange jumped on the offensive glass, and showed why they’re in the top-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference standings. But SU’s five-point halftime lead disappeared slowly behind 50 combined points from RJ Barrett and Alex O’Connell. Without Zion Williamson, Duke (24-3, 12-2 Atlantic Coast) snuck by Syracuse (18-9, 9-5) and its 35,642 fans on Saturday, 75-65.
Here’s the best shots from Saturday’s game.
Fans lined up outside of the gates awaiting the clock to strike 4 p.m., so they could enter the Carrier Dome for a 6 p.m. tip-off against No. 1 Duke.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The Carrier Dome was a sold-out crowd of 35,642 fans, breaking Syracuse’s own on-campus attendance record.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse students packed the Dome behind the basket closest to SU’s bench. Many arrived hours early and waved signs.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The game sold out weeks ago and some tickets went for as much as $7,000 on the secondary market.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Tyus Battle, a junior guard, watches his shot anxiously during warmups.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle and senior point guard Frank Howard have anchored the SU backcourt for the past two seasons. They combined for 26 points in the 75-65 loss to No. 1 Duke.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse players usually arrive to games about three or two hours before games, when they begin to warm up on their own.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, in his 43rd season, made his first public appearance since Wednesday’s fatal crash.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
SU fans cheered Boeheim from the moment he walked out of the tunnel.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Last month, SU toppled the No. 1 Blue Devils, 95-91, at Cameron Indoor Stadium. That was with projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick Zion Williamson. Saturday, even without Williamson, Duke skated by for a 10-point win.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle scored 16 points. He had only five points at the half and finished 4-of-17.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Oshae Brissett, a sophomore forward, was just 3 for 13 from the field. He had seven points inside and was 0 for 3 from deep.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Howard was 3-of-12 from the field and 2-of-9 from 3-point range. He had six rebounds.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Howard added two blocks and two steals, turning the ball over just once.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle had three rebounds and one assist in over 37 minutes on the floor.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Marek Dolezaj, a sophomore forward, scored 10 points. He was 5-of-8 from the field.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle looked to create off the dribble, though he struggled to make shots and couldn’t find open space near the rim.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Brissett missed three of his four free-throw attempts and had four steals to along with four assists.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse jumped to a five-point halftime lead.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Dolezaj dunked once in the game — setting the Dome into a frenzy — but then went quiet late.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Elijah Hughes, a junior forward, scored 12 points over 36 minutes. He shot 4-of-11 from the field.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Fans of all ages lined the edges of the court.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle was playing in front of nearly 10 NBA scouts on Saturday night, including those from the New Orleans Hornets and Utah Jazz.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle and SU shot a combined 34.3 percent from the field, 21.7 percent from deep and 63.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Brissett helped SU scored 30 of its 65 points inside the paint, and collect 19 second-chance points on 19 offensive rebounds.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Syracuse players regroup during a timeout on Saturday in a thunderous environment.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Battle and the Orange have four games remaining on the regular-season schedule, starting with No. 8 North Carolina on Tuesday night. Then SU travels to Wake Forest. Virginia at home is the home finale the following Monday.
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
Boeheim said after the game: “There is nothing like this when a human life is lost and you’re there. I can’t describe it to you,” Boeheim said. “I’ve talked to many people who have been in that situation and they say the same thing. This is never going away.”
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff PhotographerPublished on February 23, 2019 at 11:46 pm Contact Alexandra: amoreo@syr.edu
