Big-Play Rob
Syracuse forward Robert Braswell saw 16 minutes of action on Saturday night vs the Georgetown Hoyas. Every other player in orange who was on the floor played for at least 30.
Braswell’s timely impact, however, saved the night for Syracuse.
The Syracuse men’s basketball team was a heavy favorite coming into the matchup vs a longtime rival in the Hoyas. After blowing a 14-point lead to the Pittsburgh Panthers in their previous game, the Orange was in danger of doing the same on Saturday night. This time around, the Orange led 50-34 with much of the second half still to be played.
Patrick Ewing’s squad cut the lead to four with just over five minutes left to play in the game behind strong shooting from the Hoyas as time dwindled in the fourth. Syracuse needed someone to step up and make a play in winning time.
By this time, Braswell already had a valuable impact on the game with continuous activity on the defensive end as Syracuse converted one of his two steals (at that point in the game) into instant points on offense.
But the redshirt sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., still had a few plays left to make…including the play.
“That was the play of the game,” coach Jim Boeheim said in the virtual press conference following the game. “Could’ve saved the game, really. We came right down and scored, that was a huge play.”
Joe Girard took advantage of the momentum and found Buddy Boeheim for a transition three to give Syracuse a seven-point cushion. Boeheim emphasized the importance of the huge block by Braswell in the press conference as the Orange never looked back.
“They could have gotten it (cut the lead) to two points there,” Boeheim said. “They were fighting back and Rob comes out of nowhere and he really got up and blocked it. It was a great play, just happy to see him come in and be great on the offensive and defensive end for us. It was a big momentum changer for us, a big swing. Give all the credit to Rob.”
But Braswell was not done quite yet. Coach Boeheim would sub out the forward as Alan Griffin entered the game. Braswell, headed to the bench, figuring this was the last time his feet would touch the court Saturday night. However, Syracuse’s Quincy Guerrier recorded his fourth personal foul of the night with 4:47 left on the game clock. Rather than letting Guerrier, who was having a tough night from the field, (3-12) finish the game, coach Boeheim assigned Braswell ‘clean-up duty’.
Braswell entered the game and had an immediate impact once again. His third steal of the game would lead to an Alan Griffin layup, giving Syracuse a five-point lead as the game reached its final stage with two minutes left.
The Orange would never look back. Not only did Braswell make the most of his time on the court, what he did vs the Hoyas led to an Orange victory.
“He made two great steals down there that would have been layups if he wasn’t in there,” coach Boeheim said. He’s the best on our team at rotating back and rotating across and making those plays. And the block was spectacular. Robert’s a great jumper, his knees still bother him, (but) he’s going to play through it the best he can.”
Braswell has been coming into his own in the last two Orange wins as Coach Boeheim has called his number more often. He is 5-7 from three (71%) but more importantly, the sophomore has been active on defense with at least one block and a steal in each contest. If Braswell can be consistent with his shooting, and he has to show that for more than just a couple of games, expect the forward to play more minutes going forward.
Syracuse's next game is scheduled for Jan. 12 at Chapel Hill for a conference matchup against the Tarheels. The Orange is 1-1 on the road this season.
