Syracuse kept up their sizzling offensive performance on Saturday, nearly running Louisville out of the building in a 92-69 home romp. The Orange (12-11, 6-6 ACC) shot at least 55 percent from the floor and 52 percent from three for the third straight game. They logged their lowest marks in those two statistical areas during those three games, shooting 55.2 percent overall and connecting on 52.2 percent from long range.
The Cardinals (11-12, 5-8) struggled out of the gate, making just one-third of their shots in the first half, including a mere 2-of-16 from three-point range. That poor marksmanship got them into a 17-point hole at halftime from which there was no escape.
In a sign of what was to come in the first eight minutes of play, SU notched the opening two baskets of the game and never trailed. They employed a nine-point streak to grab a 22-12 lead less than seven minutes into the action, then Joe Girard III answered a Louisville basket with his second trey in as many possessions to push the margin to 11.
At that point of the game, Syracuse had made 9-of-10 shots from the floor, including all four of their attempts from beyond the arc.
Louisville stayed within arm’s reach for the next several minutes, but the Orange closed the first half by dropping a 13-4 run on the Cardinals in the session’s final five minutes and change. The late barrage gave them a 43-26 lead at halftime.
SU added the first four points of the second half to stretch the lead to 21. The Cards hacked the margin down to 16, but Buddy Boeheim dropped in a pair of triples to start a 10-3 Syracuse run that gave them a 57-34 stranglehold on the contest.
The squads essentially traded scores for several minutes until six straight Orange points made the lead 27 and a 9-2 run a few minutes later made it 78-48 on a Frank Anselem dunk with under eight minutes remaining. Anselem added a three-point-play on another dunk a little over a minute later, pushing the lead out to 32 and all but signaling the end of the game.
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Buddy Boeheim and Jesse Edwards led the way for the Orange, each scoring 19 points in their preferred way. Boeheim knocked down five triples while Edwards shot 9-of-11 from the floor to go with eight rebounds, three steals, and a pair of blocks. Joe Girard III and Cole Swider also had three treys apiece as they had 15 and 11 points, respectively. Jimmy Boeheim added 14 points as every started reached double figures for the second straight game.
Jae’Lyn Withers led Louisville with 13 points while Noah Locke added 11, hitting three times from deep for most of his damage. El Ellis and Samuell Williamson each chipped in with ten points while Mason Faulkner also connected on a trio of treys for his nine markers.
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