Syracuse hits Virginia Tech on the inside, breaks to win (quick punches from Donna Ditota)

Syracuse, NY – Virginia Tech visited the Carrier Dome on Saturday, the first of two Virginia teams The Syracuse men’s basketball team will play over a three-day period. These two teams – the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Virginia Cavaliers – are ranked. Both have provided opportunities for an Orange team trying to make a good impression mid-season.

The game unfolded in an interesting first half before SU took the lead and took a 40-34 advantage in the locker room. The second half? Another story. Syracuse controlled the paint, controlled the dash, and came out of the Dome with a 78-60 victory.

Here is what happened:

At half-time, each team had already established how they planned to win the game. Virginia Tech, which shoots 35% as a team from the 3-point line, was going to throw bombs at the SU area. The Orange, who had a distinct size advantage in each position, would either lead him or try to get the ball as close to the rim as possible.

The results were fascinating. The Hokies had beaten the Orange 18-3 on the 3-point line at halftime. SU was 1 for 6 there, while Va Tech was 6 of 17. Syracuse had some trouble early on locating Nahiem Alleyne, who was formidable in that first half (5-12 overall, 4-7 on 3). But Virginia Tech had virtually nothing in the paint.

SU beat the Hokies 26-10 in that region. Every Orange player, it seems, took the opportunity to isolate and back off a Virginia Tech defender. “Patience! Patience !,” shouted an assistant league coach (couldn’t tell who it was) as Buddy Boeheim maneuvered on Alleyne.

That was the story of the game: Syracuse took advantage of its size to push the ball onto smaller defenders. And after Virginia Tech’s first 3-point burst of shooting, the Orange got to shooters faster and more decisively. And get this: SU outclassed Virginia Tech 46-24 in paint.

Alan Griffin came to play on the signs on Saturday. Against a team that isn’t particularly big, he was active and ubiquitous on the glass. Griffin had eight rebounds in the first half, helping Orange take a 22-18 first half advantage on the boards.

Griffin, overall, was really good on Saturday. He used his size to reach the rim and score on smaller defenders (SU theme!). He dropped a big 3 early in the second half on a day when SU ​​didn’t (or took) many of them. He was active and energetic throughout the competition. He finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocked shots.

Marek Dolezaj scored 14 points in the first half, six from those from the free throw line. He put the ball on the ground and tried to pass one of the three defenders assigned to him.

What’s so remarkable about Dolezaj is his improvement on the free throw line. He entered the game with 82.6%. Two seasons ago, he shot 59.1%. He was 8 of 8 against Virginia Tech on Saturday. No other Orange player is more online than Dolezaj this season. He scored 18 against the Hokies.

Virginia Tech, surprisingly, received nothing from Keve Aluma on Saturday. He’s been so good and so instrumental for the Hokies this season. He was 0-for-6 in the first half and never seemed comfortable trying to finish in all this surging Syracuse traffic near the rim. His lack of production (he also committed two faults) was a big reason for the paint gap.

He finished with two points on 1 in 10 shot. Yikes.

Syracuse’s defense was quite effective against the Hokies, who started hot from the 3 point line and then cooled down considerably.

The Orange sent their wings higher to protect themselves from the Tech 3 point wing. SU was also very active in the middle near the rim. Griffin and Quincy Warrior were just jumping machines in there.

The result? Virginia Tech was 9 of 29 in shooting in the second half. It is 31%. The Hokies had two 3-pointers after half-time.

This and that: Quincy Guerrier had 20 points and 9 rebounds. So close to this double-double. … Kadary Richmond has had her first half moments again. He backed the much smaller Jalen Cone back into the lane and scored. He found Dolezaj with a gentle pass. But he also landed three fouls, the last coming from silly reach in the press, limiting him to eight minutes. Highlight of the second half? A gentle dribble past Hunter Cattoor and a spin and finish at the rim. Oh, and he made a 3 that all the Orange bench applauded. He finished with 13 points in 15 minutes. … Jesse Edwards played limited minutes on Saturday. Dolezaj was efficient and did not catch his first foul until 12:37 p.m. of the second half. … Frank Anselem warmed up with his teammates on Saturday. An SU spokesperson said Anselem, who was away while medically cleared, had been more involved in the practices lately. … Buddy Boeheim is still looking for his shot. He was 3 of 13 in total and 1 of 5 of 3.

Donna Ditota is a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and Syracuse.com. Do you have a comment or a story idea? Reach her at [email protected].

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