A quick take on Syracuse’s 84-53 win over Long Beach State on Thursday evening:
WHAT HAPPENED: Long Beach State didn’t up much resistance against the No. 4 team in the country in game 1 of a brutal road trip. The Orange jumped out to an early 11-2 lead, and it would balloon to 42-26 after a pair of dunks from Rakeem Christmas with 3:46 left in the first half. It was more of the same in the second half, as an 11-0 run turned this into a laugher at 61-33 with 15:53 remaining. The 49ers’ reward for this loss? A trip to face No. 7 Ohio State in Columbus.
» What did you think of the Orange’s performance? Leave your thoughts below!
ANALYSIS: Everything was working well for the Orange, and their two bugaboos from this season—turnovers and 3-point shooting—were actually pluses. SU came into the game shooting 29 percent but hit 10 of 28 from beyond the arc. Over the past two games, SU had averaged 18.5 turnovers, but the Orange took care of the ball, coughing it up just 12 times. The zone also looked in midseason form forcing 18 turnovers, while holding the 49ers to 28 percent shooting from the field.
HERO: CJ Fair had his best game of the season with 16 and 13 rebounds. He was one of 5 players in double digits. Michael Carter-Williams had another double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. Dan Jennings lead all scorers with 20 points and added 7 boards.
» Related: Early season blowouts mean something
ZERO: LBSU’s leading scorer, James Ennis, shot 3 for 14 from the field and had just 10 points. James Southerland had his second straight off game, and was 1-5 from the field and 0-3 from downtown for 2 points.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse will have a short turnaround and play Monmouth on Saturday night at 7 p.m. TV: SNY.
For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page and follow us @TheJuiceOnline.
