Takeaways from Syracuse's 107-100 2OT win over Cal

Syracuse defeated Cal 107-100 in double-overtime as all SU starters scored 14+ points. Nate Kingz led the way with 27 as SU improed to 14-11 (5-7 ACC).

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday evening.

Chris Bell returns to the Dome

After transferring to Cal following three seasons at Syracuse, Chris Bell made his return to the Dome recording 18 points on 12 shots. In his final year he went from starting and representing the team at media day along with JJ Starling to coming off the bench down the stretch.

“The coaches and players who played with Chris Bell communicated some of his habits,” William Kyle III said.

He was the player many Orange fans recognized, dangerous from deep as he knocked down four 3s and drew shooting-fouls twice on long-range attempts. He was met with boos during the starting lineup introductions.

In November he tweeted, “Moral victories are for losers, we win round here,” which was interpreted as reference to Cal beating then-ranked UCLA during the same week Syracuse lost thrice against ranked teams.

“He was definitely talking out there,” Kingz said. “I wasn’t too worried about it.”

Power outage

During the first overtime, power went out in the Dome as some of the lights shut down and all of the scoreboards turned dark. Referees talked to both coaches about their concerns and whether or not they wanted to resume the game. After about five minutes play resumed while the building operated on auxiliary power for the remainder of the game.

“Yeah, at one point [the officials] told us that we need to take our guys back,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said. “[The officials] were saying, ‘Keep you guys warm, it's going to be a while’ but I'm glad that we didn't have to wait, not mess up the rhythm of the game.”

The shot clock and game clock above the back boards continued to operate while the players had to look at a desktop-sized screen on the scorer’s table in order to know the score and the arena was notably dimmer than usual.

“Syracuse, the facilities people did an outstanding job to just be prepared so this game can be finished,” Cal head coach Mark Madsen said.

Naithan George, the catalyst

After his 19-point outing in the loss to UVA, Naithan George played with an uptick in pace and aggression against Cal. He finished with 10 assists as well as 14 points on 10 shots.

Still, he had five turnovers, as SU made a concerted effort to push to the ball and play fast. In the end, Syracuse ended up with 22 points off fast breaks, 13 more than Cal, and George was a big reason why.

George finished with three steals, second only to four from Kingz. He recorded a +/- of 11, also second only in the game to Kingz. Syracuse’s point guard did well to find a balance between his usual steadiness with offensive urgency.

“I thought Nait George was unbelievable,” Autry said.

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