A quick take on Syracuse’s 73-66 win against Marquette:
WHAT HAPPENED: Syracuse went on a 23-1 run in the second half, while holding Marquette without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes as they took a 35-12 lead with 2:44 left in the first half. But a 10-2 run right out of halftime and another 10-2 run midway through the second half pulled the Golden Eagles to within three points at 51-48 with 9:05 left. The lead would shrink to two before Dion Waiters’ blocked Darius Johnson-Odom on a 3-pointer and raced down the floor for a momentum grabbing layup. On the Orange’s ensuing possession, Joseph drained a shot from beyond the arc to put SU back up nine with 2:48 left. Marquette would get no closer than five from there.
ANALYSIS: Although the final stats show that Marquette shot just 23.1 percent from downtown, it had nothing to do with the Syracuse’s defense. Several of those misses were uncontested 3-pointers that the Golden Eagles simply missed. Had Marquette had a better shooting day, the Orange could’ve suffered its first loss of the season. Syracuse was its typical self in forcing turnovers, as the Golden Eagles had 16 of them, but the Orange also committed 15 turnovers of its own, well off the +8 turnover margin it has enjoyed for the season. Scoop Jardine was the main culprit, with six of them. While the turnover margin will likely shrink in Big East play, the Orange will still need more than a +1 margin if it wants to continue to win.
HERO: Kris Joseph had 17 points Brandon Triche chipped in 16 points to lead Syracuse. Johnson-Odom’s 18 lead the Golden Eagles.
ZERO: Todd Mayo was 0-for-5 from downtown as Marquette was 6-for-26 from 3-point land as a team. Jardine was 1-for-5 from the field for three points, and he had just three assists compared to the six turnovers.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse travels to Philadelphia to play Villanova on Wed, Jan 11. at 7:00 p.m. TV: ESPN2.
