Instant Juice: Syracuse 96, Florida Southern 54

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Malachi Richardson has impressed in two games
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Richardson’s 18 led Syracuse

A quick take on Syracuse’s 96-54 win over Florida Southern in its final preseason tuneup on Sunday afternoon:

  • Syracuse’s new look offense was again on display against Florida Southern, with the Orange freely firing from long range. SU finished 14 for 29 from beyond the arc, with Malachi Richardson leading the way with a game-high 4 triples and 18 points. SU’s other shooters, Trevor Cooney (2), Michael Gbinije (2), Frank Howard (1), Tyler Lydon (2) and Kaleb Joseph (3) also connected. “We’re perimeter oriented this year,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said after the game. Eight first-half 3s allowed the Orange to take a 53-22 lead into half.
  • Speaking of Joseph, he looked impressive in 15 minutes off the bench, hitting 3 of 4 3-pointers to finish with 11 points. He was aggressive from the moment he entered the game and played well off the ball. At times, Boeheim used all three of his point guards in the same lineup, which would certainly help against pressure defenses this season. Joseph added three assists.

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  • Richardson looks like he’s going to be one of those special freshman. On top of leading the Orange in scoring, he chipped in six rebounds, three steals and two assists. He also displayed a deft touch in igniting several fast breaks. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Richardson’s afternoon was that none of his shots appeared forced.
  • Tyler Roberson got by mostly on pure athleticism and hustle last season, with the majority of his offense coming from rebounds and close range shots. But two of his five baskets came on jumpers from the three throw line area, which was a point of emphasis for him in the offseason. He also added five rebounds and four assists.
  • Syracuse looked just as good on the defensive end, holding the Moccasins to just 31.3 percent shooting from the field and forcing 28 turnovers. Gbinije led Syracuse with five steals, but he also had four turnovers.
  • Alumni sightings on Sunday included Chris McCullough and Eric Devendorf.

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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.