Quick Hits: Bench’s spark fails to save Syracuse

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Dec 7, 2021; Washington, D.C., USA; Syracuse Orange center Frank Anselem (5) warms up prior to the second half against the Georgetown Hoyas at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Saugat Sen, The Juice Online.

Syracuse lost its second straight game, this time to rival Georgetown, 79-75. Here are some quick hits from the game:

  • Joe Girard III’s first half might have been his best 20 minutes at Syracuse. Girard had 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including a pair of threes, while handing out four assists against a single turnover.

  • The Orange got nine points from their bench in the first half, led by five from Frank Anselem. The blowout loss to Auburn was the last time the reserves exceeded that output, using a substantial amount of garbage time to get to 11 points.
  • For a team with a perimeter-oriented reputation, SU owned the paint in the first half, scoring 22 points in the key. They shot 12-for-20 inside the arc in the first half with only an 18-foot turnaround from Girard outside the paint. The Syracuse bigs also played a large role in Georgetown shooting just 5-of-17 inside the are in the opening frame.
  • The Hoyas flipped the script inside after the break, shooting 9-of-12 inside the arc and holding SU to 10-of-22 shooting on two-pointers.
  • The Orange passed the ball well in the game, piling up 20 assists to go against a season-low seven turnovers. After not logging an assist in his last five games, Cole Swider had six dimes to go with Girard’s seven.
  • Girard and Swider each missed their third free throws of the season, an occurrence made more painful in a four-point loss.
  • Jesse Edwards finished with four fouls, making it the sixth time he has committed at least that many in a game this season while drawing three whistles in three other games. While that is not great, it is a significant improvement over last season, as he is averaging a foul every 7.26 minutes after getting whistled once every 5.33 minutes previously.

» Related: Syracuse is a ‘good team’ says SU legend Dale Shackleford

  • SU returns home to take on Lehigh on Saturday evening. The Mountain Hawks (1-8) will take on Syracuse in their first game in two full weeks, having lost their last four games.
  • Evan Taylor leads three Lehigh players in scoring at 11.8 points per game. Jeameril Wilson and Marques Wilson back Taylor with scoring averages of 11.3 and 10.8 points per game respectively.
  • Saturday’s tip-off between the Orange and Mountain Hawks is scheduled for 6:00pm Eastern and the ACC Network will televise the matchup.

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About Jim Stechschulte 894 Articles
A 1996 graduate of Syracuse University, Jim has reported on Syracuse sports for the Syracuse University Alumni Club of Southern California on nearly a decade. He has also written a fantasy basketball column published by NBA.com. He currently resides in Syracuse.