#5 Syracuse showed its depth again on Tuesday night, as Jim Boeheim gave at least 14 minutes of action to ten different players in a 98-74 win over Albany at the Carrier Dome. The Orange (3-0) turned in their best shooting effort of the season, knocking down 52.6 percent of their field goal attempts in taming the Great Danes (1-2). SU also enjoyed a great advantage on the boards, outrebounding their smaller foes, 47-29, including collecting 22 caroms at the offensive end.
The Orange fell behind early, giving up the first four points of the game. They rebounded quickly, using a six-point burst to take their first lead at 8-6. Albany struck back, fighting closely for the next few minutes, taking the lead twice more and knotting the score three times. With just over seven minutes off the clock, Syracuse exploded, scoring nine straight points to trigger a 14-2 run resulting in a 30-18 lead just past the midpoint of the half. The Great Danes whittled the lead down to nine points on a pair of occasions, but SU used an 11-3 run to stretch their lead to 49-32, then kept that 17-point margin at halftime, leading 51-34.
Syracuse went for the finishing blow early in the second half, ripping off nine straight points for a 62-37 lead with less than four minutes gone after the break. Albany scrapped back, chipping the margin down to 16 with 11:26 on the clock. The Orange kept the visitors at arm’s length for a few minutes, then scored eight straight points to stretch their lead to 85-58 with under seven minutes to play. A minute later, SU made the margin 29 points before the Great Danes went on a 14-2 run to make it a 91-74 game with under two minutes to play. Syracuse responded with the final seven points of the game for the 24-point victory.
Kris Joseph and James Southerland led the Orange outburst, each ringing up 19 points, Southerland doing so off the bench. Baye Keita was the only other player to reach double figures in scoring, amassing 14 points in as many minutes by making every shot he attempted, six from the field and a pair from the free throw line. Rakeem Christmas added nine points while Fab Melo and Dion Waiters each chipped in eight.
Syracuse takes a break from the NIT Season Tipoff, as they host Colgate on Saturday. The Red Raiders (1-0) take on #14 Wisconsin on Wednesday night prior to their trip to the Carrier Dome. The game will get underway at 1:00pm Pacific and is available to watch through pay-per-view. It is not currently listed for broadcast on ESPN3.com.
