Syracuse and Seniors End Regular Season on Positive Note
Coming off of a big win against North Carolina, the Orange were prepared to end their regular season on a high note going up against the Clemson Tigers. This was a big game for the Orange not only because a win would help to keep their hopes of making the big dance alive, but also because it was Senior Night.
Before the game Syracuse paid tribute to their four seniors Bourama Sidibe, Marek Dolezaj, Nick Giancola, and Chris Lavalle. Beating Clemson would be a big win for the Orange considering they lost to the Tigers by 17 points about a month ago, but also because it would end the Seniors careers in the Dome on a positive note.
According to college basketball guru Joe Lunardi, he believed that the Orange needed to first beat Clemson and would then need to pick up two wins in the ACC tournament in order to give them a chance to play in the big dance.
Heading into today’s game, the Orange had several key players who were battling through injuries. Quincey Guerrier and Kadary Richmond were both fighting through knee injuries and Marek Dolezaj was dealing with soreness in his middle finger on his left hand that he suffered against UNC.
Richmond got some playing time in the first half but got taken out and immediately went to the exercise bike to work through his right knee soreness. Richmond has proven all season long how much heart the young freshmen has. He would end up returning to the game and finished with just 5 points in 18 minutes of action but provided a lot of spark on the defensive end for the Orange.
Guerrier and Dolezaj both battled through their injuries and ended up making some big plays for the Orange. All three players will need to rest up because they are all going to be needed if Syracuse expects to make a big run in the ACC Tournament next week.
What has seemed like a common theme for the Orange this year, the game started off very slow with neither team making shots. Both teams had trouble scoring the basketball through the first seven minutes of the game, but SU eventually got into their groove hitting three three-pointers to give them a 9-4 lead.
Clemson struggled in this game from the opening tip, going 0-7 from beyond the arc to start the game. There was a lot of cold shooting in the first half, but a lot of it was due to a great defensive effort from the Orange. A low scoring first half gave SU a 25-22 lead heading into the locker room.
Sometimes all it takes is halftime to regroup because the Orange looked like an entirely different team in the second half knowing that they were playing with their backs against the wall. The Orange started out the second half on fire with Alan Griffin hitting back-to-back 3’s.
SU would go on an 8-0 run to extend their halftime lead to up to 11 points. The Orange would lead by as much as 17 points in this one. Clemson kept trying to claw their way back into the game, but Griffin and the Orange refused to let them get back into it.
Griffin scored just 3 points in the first half, but it was the Alan Griffin show in the second half. Griffin went on a run scoring 11 points through the first five minutes of the half. He shot 50% from beyond the arc tonight going 6/12. Griffin ended the night as SU’s leading scorer with 22.
The Orange would hold on to win this one 64-54, finishing the regular season off with an impressive 13-1 home record. SU should have been undefeated but they let that one game slip through their fingers when they fell to Pittsburgh 60-63.
Syracuse will take the rest of the week to rest and regroup before getting back to work in the ACC Tournament starting on March 9.
