Instant Juice: Syracuse 50, Connecticut 52

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Thompson had a huge second half to help rally the Orange
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Syracuse dropped its third game of the season

NEW YORK — A quick take on Syracuse 52-50 loss against Connecticut on Monday evening at famed Madison Square Garden:

WHAT HAPPENED: Syracuse took a 37-26 lead with 13:14 left in the second half after an Andrew White 3-pointer. From there, the Orange went completely cold, with the Huskies going on a 20-6 run to take a 46-44 lead with under four minutes left. Syracuse tied the game at 50 with after Andrew White hit a 3 with nine seconds left, but Christian Vital rebounded a miss with two seconds left and was fouled and hit the go-ahead free throw to win the game. The game had the feeling of a physical, grind-it-out Big East battle, with both times mired in an offensive slump throughout.

» Related: Syracuse’s Dajuan Coleman credits practice, opportunity for career high

ANALYSIS: All of Syracuse’s offensive flaws were on display against UConn. Spotty outside shooting? Check. Syracuse was just 6-27 from downtown. Bad ball movement? Check. The Orange had nine assists against 12 turnovers and shot 25.9 percent from the field. Lack of a go-to player in crunch time? Check. Tyler Lydon and Andrew White combined for 5-22 shooting from the field. UConn at 4-4 with losses to Wagner and Northeastern is simply not a good team this season, and with the loss, Syracuse is not at the moment, either.

HERO: Rodney Purvis led all scorers with 21 points and shot 6-15 from downtown. For Syracuse, Dajuan Coleman continued his torrid play, collecting 16 rebounds and adding 10 points.

ZERO: Lydon looks lost on offense. He still seems reluctant to shoot, and finished with just seven points on eight shots. With a chance to put the game out of reach with under a minute left, Kentan Facey missed four straight free throws to keep Syracuse within striking distance.

WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse returns home to face Boston University at the Carrier Dome on Saturday at noon.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.