Syracuse Struggles to Beat Underdog Northeastern
Jim Boeheim called the game vs Northeastern a "wakeup call" for his team at halftime. The Huskies came into the contest as heavy underdogs, having never beaten Syracuse in program history. They led the Orange 32-31 at the half.
Syracuse was abysmal shooting the three-ball all night, while the Huskies shot the ball at a respectable 32% from deep. Despite the rough shooting, the fact that Alan Griffin finished the game with 0 points, and Buddy Boeheim's struggles from the field (1-12), Syracuse was able to pull out its fifth win of the season over the Huskies, in ugly fashion.
The game was tailor-made for Syracuse's Quincy Gurrier, who has shown signs of dominance to begin his sophomore season. Guerrier recorded a career-best 16 rebounds along with a ferocious 18 points, recording his third double-double of the season. He had three all of last year. Guerrier had the play of the game as he came down with an offensive rebound and finished through contact for a successful three-point play in the waning minutes of the game. That bucket put Syracuse up 51-48, and the Orange never looked back.
A player who has been under scrutiny to start the season for the Orange is Joe Girard, who has now turned in a couple of strong performances in consecutive games. The shooting was not great, as he went 5-16 from the field (2-9 from distance), however, Girard made it a point to get in the lane and draw fouls. He was at the charity stripe nine times, hitting all nine of his free throws.
Forward Marek Dolezaj played the entire game and the Orange needed it. Dolezaj is not a regular starter for Syracuse as he has replaced center Bourama Sidibe, who tore his meniscus in the first game of the season vs Bryant and is currently recovering ( Sidibe is expected to be back in early January). Dolezaj had a key performance vs the Huskies with 14 points on an efficient day of shooting (7-13). He was just one of two Syracuse players who shot the ball over 31% from the floor (Qunicy Guerrier shot at 60%). Dolezaj also came down with four rebounds and a steal to round out the day in a 62-56 victory.
Despite the scare vs Northeastern, Syracuse has jumped to 5-1 on the season. The team is scheduled to play Buffalo (3-2) in its next matchup as a part of a three-game home stint. The game is set for a 6 p.m. tip-off at the Carrier Dome this Saturday, Dec. 19.
