Oakland Golden Grizzlies vs Syracuse Orange Match Player Stats On Nov 20, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 20, 2017

In a matchup of two of the three longest-tenured coaches in Division I, guards Tyus Battle and Frank Howard combined for 43 points to carry coach Jim Boeheim's Syracuse Orange to a 74-50 romp over Greg Kampe's Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Monday night in a Hoophall Miami Invitational game at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

Battle scored a game-high 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting, while point guard Howard notched a career-high 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting and added six assists with just two turnovers. Center Paschal Chukwu posted a career-high 12 points with 11 rebounds and eight blocks for the Orange (4-0).

Syracuse's 2-3 zone defense cooled off Oakland guards Kendrick Nunn (28.0) and Martez Walker (24.3), who entered the game averaging a combined 52.3 points per game. Walker and Nunn led the defending Horizon League regular-season champion Golden Grizzlies (2-2) with 14 and 12 points, respectively, but they shot a combined 27.5 percent (8-for-29).

Boeheim, now in his 42nd year at Syracuse, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (38th) and Kampe (34th) are the longest-tenured coaches in Division I at their current schools.

The Hoophall Miami Invitational is a five-team, round-robin tournament that also includes Texas Southern, Toledo and Kansas. Syracuse and Kansas will face off on Dec. 2 in Miami.

Oakland, which shot 2-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half, connected on four of its first eight 3-point tries in the second half to cut Syracuse's 14-point halftime lead to 10. However, Battle and Howard each scored seven points in a 14-4 run that increased Syracuse's lead to 65-45.

The Golden Grizzlies played without forward Jalen Hayes, who completed his controversial four-game suspension. Hayes, a senior who averaged 15.9 points and 8.0 rebounds last season, was suspended for failing to advance toward his degree. Hayes met the NCAA's academic standards, but not Oakland's.