SYRACUSE - For 39 minutes and 54 seconds, Jonny Flynn played like a freshman.
The Associated Press
Syracuse's Donte Green celebrates after scoring against St. Joseph's during the first half in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-off in Syracuse on Tuesday.
Syracuse's Donte Green celebrates after scoring against St. Joseph's during the first half in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-off in Syracuse on Tuesday.
One shot changed all that.
A night after scoring 28 points on 10-for-13 shooting, the Syracuse freshman made just one field goal - a go-ahead 3-pointer with six seconds remaining - as the youthful Orange knocked off Saint Joseph's 72-69 on Tuesday in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-off at the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse (2-0) advances to play Ohio State the NIT semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 21 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
With the game all square 68-68, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim called a timeout with 19.1 seconds remaining and drew up a final play. Flynn, who had made just two free throws up to that point, was supposed to drive and kick to an open man but Hawks' defender Ahmad Nivins backed off, freeing the Niagara Falls native up for a wide open 3-pointer at the top of the key.
“Jonny must have thought it was last night when he took that shot,” Boeheim said. “But they gave it to him. We were going to try to penetrate but there was nothing there and he knocked it down.”
Flynn finished with five points, six assists and just one turnover. Despite starting the game 0-for-5 from the floor, Flynn didn't hesitate to take the game's biggest shot.
“When you're a shooter, you just stay with it,” he said. “You have to have confidence all game. Even if you make the first 13 (shots) or miss the first 13, you always think the next one is going in.”
And when he found himself open at the top of the arc?
“My eyes just lit up,” Flynn said. “I was shocked (Nivins) was really going to give me that shot. So I shot it and I knew it was going in.”
Fellow freshman Donte Green scored 18 points for the Orange, while Paul Harris had his second straight double-double, with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Syracuse had to battle back from an early 12-point deficit after opening the game with three quick turnovers and 0-for-6 shooting in the game's first five minutes.
The Orange began to chip away at the deficit by locking down defensively. Leading 17-7, Saint Joseph's missed three straight 3s and SU capitalized offensively. The Orange went on an 11-0 run, highlighted by six points from Eric Devendorf and a long trifecta by Greene.
Darrin Govens 3-pointer with 4:50 remaining snapped a seven-minutes scoreless stretch for the Hawks.
“(Saint Joseph's) got off to a great start and they really put us in a big hole,” Boeheim said. “I would think normally a young team would have a lot of trouble but we scored some points. Then they took it up to ten again and we really made some good plays on both ends of the court.”
After leading 33-30 at intermission, Syracuse opened the second half with a 12-3 run.
SU led by as many 12 before Saint Joseph's answered with an 8-0 run of their own to pull within one, 45-44.
That's when Orange center Arinze Onuaku took over. The 6-9, 258-pound sophomore controlled the paint and muscled his way to three-straight inside buckets.
Onuaku finished with a career-high 17 points and benefited greatly from Syracuse's patience in finding the open man on offense.
“That is what makes good teams great - being unselfish and making the extra pass,” Flynn said. “Players not caring about their stats and just making the extra pass, trying to get a bucket. Arinze played good down low and Paul Harris made a lot of extra passes to Arinze, who played strong for us.”
Behind 22 points from each Pat Calathes and Darrin Govens, the Hawks battled back once again in the game's final minutes. Govens hit his sixth and final 3-pointer to pull Saints Joseph's within one, 67-65, with 1:26 remaining. After a Devendorf free throw, Calathes knotted up the game by converting a three-point play after snaring an offensive rebounds over Harris.
But that set the stage for Flynn who left the Syracuse crowd chanting his name for the second consecutive night.
“He struggled tonight, but his defense was good and his ball-handling was good,” Boeheim said. “He's not going to get 28 points every night - not many can - but he made the big one at the end of the game. It's hard for a freshman to do that.”
Orange 72
Hawks 69
SYRACUSE 72, SAINT JOSEPH'S 69
SAINT JOSEPH'S (1-1)
Calathes 6-13 8-11 22, Ferguson 3-7 0-0 7, Carr 5-8 1-2 13, Govens 8-19 0-0 22, Nivins 1-4 1-2 3, Hilliard 0-0 0-0 0, Moody 0-2 0-0 0, Lidzius 1-1 0-0 2, Williamson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-54 10-15 69.
SYRACUSE (2-0)
Greene 6-14 3-4 18, Harris 7-13 3-4 18, Onuaku 7-10 3-7 17, Flynn 1-6 2-2 5, Devendorf 5-11 1-2 12, Jackson 1-2 0-0 2, Ongenaet 0-1 0-0 0, Jardine 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-59 12-19 72.
Halftime--Syracuse 33-30. 3-Point Goals--Saint Joseph's 11-26 (Govens 6-14, Carr 2-4, Calathes 2-6, Ferguson 1-2), Syracuse 6-14 (Greene 3-7, Harris 1-1, Flynn 1-2, Devendorf 1-3, Jardine 0-1). Fouled Out--Ferguson. Rebounds--Saint Joseph's 31 (Calathes 8), Syracuse 38 (Harris 14). Assists--Saint Joseph's 17 (Carr 9), Syracuse 19 (Flynn, Harris 6). Total Fouls--Saint Joseph's 20, Syracuse 13. A--NA.
A night after scoring 28 points on 10-for-13 shooting, the Syracuse freshman made just one field goal - a go-ahead 3-pointer with six seconds remaining - as the youthful Orange knocked off Saint Joseph's 72-69 on Tuesday in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-off at the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse (2-0) advances to play Ohio State the NIT semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 21 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
With the game all square 68-68, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim called a timeout with 19.1 seconds remaining and drew up a final play. Flynn, who had made just two free throws up to that point, was supposed to drive and kick to an open man but Hawks' defender Ahmad Nivins backed off, freeing the Niagara Falls native up for a wide open 3-pointer at the top of the key.
“Jonny must have thought it was last night when he took that shot,” Boeheim said. “But they gave it to him. We were going to try to penetrate but there was nothing there and he knocked it down.”
Flynn finished with five points, six assists and just one turnover. Despite starting the game 0-for-5 from the floor, Flynn didn't hesitate to take the game's biggest shot.
“When you're a shooter, you just stay with it,” he said. “You have to have confidence all game. Even if you make the first 13 (shots) or miss the first 13, you always think the next one is going in.”
And when he found himself open at the top of the arc?
“My eyes just lit up,” Flynn said. “I was shocked (Nivins) was really going to give me that shot. So I shot it and I knew it was going in.”
Fellow freshman Donte Green scored 18 points for the Orange, while Paul Harris had his second straight double-double, with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Syracuse had to battle back from an early 12-point deficit after opening the game with three quick turnovers and 0-for-6 shooting in the game's first five minutes.
The Orange began to chip away at the deficit by locking down defensively. Leading 17-7, Saint Joseph's missed three straight 3s and SU capitalized offensively. The Orange went on an 11-0 run, highlighted by six points from Eric Devendorf and a long trifecta by Greene.
Darrin Govens 3-pointer with 4:50 remaining snapped a seven-minutes scoreless stretch for the Hawks.
“(Saint Joseph's) got off to a great start and they really put us in a big hole,” Boeheim said. “I would think normally a young team would have a lot of trouble but we scored some points. Then they took it up to ten again and we really made some good plays on both ends of the court.”
After leading 33-30 at intermission, Syracuse opened the second half with a 12-3 run.
SU led by as many 12 before Saint Joseph's answered with an 8-0 run of their own to pull within one, 45-44.
That's when Orange center Arinze Onuaku took over. The 6-9, 258-pound sophomore controlled the paint and muscled his way to three-straight inside buckets.
Onuaku finished with a career-high 17 points and benefited greatly from Syracuse's patience in finding the open man on offense.
“That is what makes good teams great - being unselfish and making the extra pass,” Flynn said. “Players not caring about their stats and just making the extra pass, trying to get a bucket. Arinze played good down low and Paul Harris made a lot of extra passes to Arinze, who played strong for us.”
Behind 22 points from each Pat Calathes and Darrin Govens, the Hawks battled back once again in the game's final minutes. Govens hit his sixth and final 3-pointer to pull Saints Joseph's within one, 67-65, with 1:26 remaining. After a Devendorf free throw, Calathes knotted up the game by converting a three-point play after snaring an offensive rebounds over Harris.
But that set the stage for Flynn who left the Syracuse crowd chanting his name for the second consecutive night.
“He struggled tonight, but his defense was good and his ball-handling was good,” Boeheim said. “He's not going to get 28 points every night - not many can - but he made the big one at the end of the game. It's hard for a freshman to do that.”
Orange 72
Hawks 69
SYRACUSE 72, SAINT JOSEPH'S 69
SAINT JOSEPH'S (1-1)
Calathes 6-13 8-11 22, Ferguson 3-7 0-0 7, Carr 5-8 1-2 13, Govens 8-19 0-0 22, Nivins 1-4 1-2 3, Hilliard 0-0 0-0 0, Moody 0-2 0-0 0, Lidzius 1-1 0-0 2, Williamson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-54 10-15 69.
SYRACUSE (2-0)
Greene 6-14 3-4 18, Harris 7-13 3-4 18, Onuaku 7-10 3-7 17, Flynn 1-6 2-2 5, Devendorf 5-11 1-2 12, Jackson 1-2 0-0 2, Ongenaet 0-1 0-0 0, Jardine 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-59 12-19 72.
Halftime--Syracuse 33-30. 3-Point Goals--Saint Joseph's 11-26 (Govens 6-14, Carr 2-4, Calathes 2-6, Ferguson 1-2), Syracuse 6-14 (Greene 3-7, Harris 1-1, Flynn 1-2, Devendorf 1-3, Jardine 0-1). Fouled Out--Ferguson. Rebounds--Saint Joseph's 31 (Calathes 8), Syracuse 38 (Harris 14). Assists--Saint Joseph's 17 (Carr 9), Syracuse 19 (Flynn, Harris 6). Total Fouls--Saint Joseph's 20, Syracuse 13. A--NA.
The Citizens' Say
There are No comments posted.