Five Takeaways: Syracuse 80 Georgetown 68
Syracuse picked up a big road win over Georgetown on Saturday. Here are five takeaways from the victory.
1. JJ Starling
Judah Mintz will get most of the headlines, but JJ Starling was fantastic in this game. He scored 21 points and made all three of his three point attempts. Starling got into the lane and scored from all three levels. He even hit some big shots when Georgetown was trying to trim the lead and put some game pressure on Syracuse. His jumper is really coming along as he is shooting 55% from three in his last three games. He is also averaging 15 points per game during that stretch. A very positive sign for the Orange moving forward. Starling and Mintz look like they are getting more comfortable playing together. Starling was also solid on the defensive end.
2. Judah Mintz
Mintz deserves those aforementioned headlines. He had a game high 25 points, to go along with five steals, three assists and three rebounds. He was the best player on the floor and Georgetown had no answer for him. It was his second straight monster game after struggling at Virginia, a nice bounce back from Syracuse's best player. While he was great offensively, getting wherever he wanted and finishing through contact regularly, Mintz was just as dominant on the defensive end. His on ball defense was superb, forcing Georgetown into several turnovers. A huge performance in front of friends and family.
3. Quadir Copeland
The put back dunk will get most of the attention, but Copeland had a strong game overall. He scored 14 points on 6-7 shooting, grabbed four rebounds, had one block, one steal and one assist as well. Copeland provides instant energy on the floor and was all of that against Georgetown. A strong performance to build on moving forward.
4. Mounir Hima
Hima only played nine minutes, but made an impact during those nine minutes. He scored four points, had three rebounds, dished out an assist and blocked a shot. Hima gave excellent effort on both ends, set some good screens to open up driving lanes and provided a bit of a spark in the middle. I'd like to see more of him moving forward as I think he can contribute.
5. Defense
Georgetown came into the game averaging 79 points per game. Syracuse held them to 68, 11 below that average. Georgetown was shooting 39% from three point range on the season. Syracuse held them to 19%. Early in the game, Georgetown was getting whatever it wanted when attacking the rim. However, the Orange made some adjustments and tightened things up. It was a strong defensive performance against a good offensive team. Syracuse seemed locked in on that end of the floor and that sparked the offensive attack. Syracuse needs more of that type of effort defensively as it gets into conference play, and for the next game against Oregon.
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