Field Level Media
Jan 19, 2021
Joe Girard III scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half as the host Syracuse Orange routed the Miami Hurricanes 83-57 in an ACC game on Tuesday night.
Buddy Boeheim also had 23 points -- including 18 in the blowout second half -- and Quincy Guerrier had 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Syracuse (8-4, 2-3), which gave up 64 second-half points in a 20-point loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday, tightened up defensively against Miami as the Hurricanes missed 19 of their first 20 three-point attempts.
The Orange trailed early, but coach Jim Boeheim made a key adjustment, moving Girard from the point to the wing. Freshman reserve Kadary Richmond moved to the point and finished with a game-high eight assists.
Girard, who entered the game averaging just 10.2 points, made 8-of-15 shots from the floor, including 5-of-9 on three-pointers.
Miami (6-7, 2-6), coming off an upset over Louisville -- which was ranked 16th in the nation at the time -- was led by Isaiah Wong, who had 16 points. Anthony Walker added 13 points, but just two in the second half.
Wong, who had a career-high 30 points with six assists and no turnovers against Louisville, had just one point at halftime against Syracuse. He finished with 5-for-16 shooting, including 3-for-12 on three-pointers.
The only good news for the Hurricanes is that they got two of their five injured players back. Kameron McGusty (hamstring) had nine points. Earl Timberlake (arm injury) had four points.
Miami, thanks to an 11-2 run to start the game, dominated early as Walker scored nine points by operating in the high post. But Syracuse adjusted defensively, producing a 23-3 run and taking a 36-22 lead into halftime.
Syracuse shot 50 percent in the first half, including 5-for-12 on three-pointers (41.7 percent). Miami shot 34.8 percent, including 0-for-11 on 3-pointers, and it was the Hurricanes' second-lowest scoring half this season.
The game was never close in the second half as Syracuse's famed 2-3 zone continued to bother Miami.
For the game, Syracuse shot 52.5 percent, including 10-for-25 on three-pointers (40 percent). Miami shot 39.3 percent, including 4-for-25 on 3-pointers (16 percent).
--Field Level Media