BLACKSBURG, Va. — When Virginia Tech mounted a comeback and defeated Syracuse in the Carrier Dome two weeks ago, the Orange remained winless in the new year. But on Saturday, Syracuse jumped out to an early double-digit lead behind 18 points from Buddy Boeheim in the first half and withstood VT’s surge in the second half. SU knocked off the Hokies 71-69 for its third-straight win and gained more momentum as the Orange look to erase nonconference blemishes with ACC win.
Here are the best photos from Syracuse’s win.
Marek Dolezaj finished with a double-double, his second consecutive and third in the last five games.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Joe Girard III's six points was his lowest in 10 games, dating back to the ACC/Big 10 Challenge against Iowa.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Syracuse shot 48.3% from the field, the 13th time this season it finished a game higher than 40%.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
By playing 24 minutes, Quincy Guerrier continued to establish his role as Syracuse's sixth man. Head coach Jim Boeheim used just one other bench player.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Buddy Boeheim carried the offensive load for Syracuse in the first half, scoring 18 points and tying his career-high with 26.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
All seven Syracuse players that appeared in the first half scored.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Sidibe's layup opened the scoring for SU, but he managed just one more field goal attempt.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Girard was held without a rebound for the fifth time this season, and all except one of his 42 this year have been defensive boards.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Boeheim, Hughes and Dolezaj all played the entire game, accounting for 76% of the Orange's points.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Bourama Sidibe totaled as many points (four) as he had personal fouls against the Hokies.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Syracuse built an early 16-point lead that withstood a Virginia Tech comeback, something it couldn't do 11 days ago.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Girard only had one assist as Syracuse's point guard, the sixth-straight game he's had less than five.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Syracuse outscored the Hokies 34-12 in the paint — nearly half of its overall total.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Girard patrolled the top of a 2-3 zone that forced VT into rushed 3-pointers and seven turnovers overall.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Hughes only scored four points in the first half, but became the Orange's primary scorer in the second half once Buddy cooled off.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Girard ceded 16 minutes to backup point guard Howard Washington, the latter's most playing time since Dec. 7 against Georgia Tech.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Hughes surpassed 1,000 career points in the second half of the Orange's win against Virginia Tech.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Quincy Guerrier's nine rebounds were one short of his career-high, a number he set against Penn State in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Six different players totaled assists for Syracuse, including Dolezaj's two.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
With the win, Syracuse won its third-straight game since opening the new year with a pair of losses.
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
Entering Saturday's game, Syracuse had a 7.8% chance to make the NCAA Tournament.
Max Freund | Staff PhotographerPublished on January 18, 2020 at 4:35 pm Contact Max: mefreund@syr.edu
