Not yet: Syracuse basketball makes 3 points, struggles in 2nd half, loses against Baylor

Salt Lake City – Second Half Fights The opposing team recovers an unconscious number of shots at 3 points.

When Syracuse lost games this season, a combination of these things usually happens. Think Virginia and North Carolina. Think Clemson and Florida State. Think Duke in the Carrier Dome. Think Georgia Tech.

Baylor joined this illustrious list Thursday night in the Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Bears made 34 3-point shots against area 2-3 of the SU and made 16. They continued to penetrate the heart of the Orange defense, recognizing an important man and kicking a shooter. discovered that had drifted into an area devoid of Orange defenders.

SU kept up the pace in the first period with his own 3-point shot on the Baylor zone. But in the second half, the Bears went from man to man. And Syracuse has not managed to make enough shots. The Orange is connected to 9 out of 29 attempts after intermission. The SU fired 3 of 9 from the 3-point line during this pivotal period.

The result? Baylor won 78-69 and earned the right to meet Gonzaga on Saturday.

"Baylor is a very tough team to face," said South American League coach Jim Boeheim. "They pass it well and pull it well. And Mason is a very accomplished veteran leader and he knows where the ball should be. And he can also shoot.

Mason would be Makai Mason, the 6-foot-1 keeper who scored 22 points. Mason had 4 points out of 6 on the 3-point line in the first period, when Baylor moved against the American League area and stretched it to breaking point. At one point, Mason sank a 3 of the last S of the March Madness logo located halfway through. As a team, the Bears connected on 10 3 in the first period.

Baylor usually takes 23 shots at 3 points per game. Against Orange, the Bears threw 34 shots from that distance. And done 16 of them. Their coach, Scott Drew, gave his team permission to make 40 shots of the 3-point line if the Bears were so inclined. Baylor knew that these shots would come to fruition against the area.

Jared Butler of Baylor said, "It's heartbreaking."

The performance scored Baylor's most 3 wins this season (previous record 31) and the most wins of the Bears this season (previous record 15). The Bears had never done as many as 3 in an NCAA tournament match.

Elijah Hughes said the Orange strikers had been asked to adjust the perimeter against the Bears. They were instructed, he says, to do some reading and stay with the shooters.

"We were not able to get them to shoot hard shots," said Hughes. "It's tough." The coach adjusted his way of playing the zone to the way he plays today – it was really tough. We've never really done it before.They started and it was difficult.really very difficult. "

"In the first half, we were very hot and they were just as hot. They were also in an area and that's when we managed to get most of our shots. I was open Elijah was open, "said Oshae Brissett. "In the first half, they hit a deep 3 and really extended our zone. Once they've started well, they have the confidence to keep going from there. We had to expand. And it was much more open to get in the way and kick it out. At this point, it's really about trying to recover and raise your hand. "

The SU was just one point behind the other half because it was able to match the shots with the Bears. But in the second half, Baylor opted for a men's defense. Hughes, who scored 18 points in the first half and was 5 -8 of 8 in the 3-point line, drew fierce defensive attention. He said that he believed that Battle was preparing for a big second half and had been sent back to the junior SU. Hughes finished with a record of 25 points, but he had one in six overall records after the break. (He scored 4 of 5 on the free throw line.)

Nobody had a big second for Orange. The SU missed 20 of the 29 attempts. Orange pulled 31% overall and 25% of the 3-point line in the second half. Baylor, in comparison, made almost 52% of his shots in the second half.

"They continued to change from man to zone and continued to give us different looks," Paschal Chukwu said. "We played a few pieces, but we could not shoot. On the other side, they took a lot of blows. "

Syracuse, with Frank Howard serving a suspension, played four starters at least 38 minutes. Battle was one of those starters, who had missed both of SU's previous matches.

Battle said he was not getting tired, although Jim Boeheim later said that he thought Battle was a little tired. " stuff "to maintain his conditioning while he was recovering from a back injury.

Buddy Boeheim played 39 minutes, a top all season, and acknowledged that he was tired in the far right.

"We just did not finish well," said Marek Dolezaj. "These are 6-7 players playing. And it's really hard to play 40 minutes at 100%. "

Syracuse was outclassed 21-12 in the final at 9:47.

This means that the Orange no longer participates in the NCAA tournament.