Syracuse Orange Comeback Attempt Foiled by the Georgetown Hoyas

Maybe the Syracuse Orange (6-2) had a hard time with the Georgetown Hoyas (4-3) because they were getting used to life without Jim Boeheim who served the first game of a nine game suspension.

Maybe Syracuse was still reeling from taking their first loss to the Wisconsin Badgers in overtime their last outing.

Or maybe, and more likely, the Georgetown Hoyas came out with more energy and intensity playing in the Verizon Center which allowed them to seize the opportunity to beat a Top 15 ranked squad.

The latter sounds about right. Georgetown had to feel that they let the Maryland Terrapins off the hook a couple weeks back and saw Syracuse as an opportunity to claim a victory over a ranked opponent on their resume.

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The Hoyas were not fazed by the Syracuse 2-3 zone. Georgetown was able to get the ball in where they wanted against the Syracuse defense and knocked down shots en route to a 79-72 victory in Washington DC.

Even when the Orange appeared to be gaining momentum midway through the second half cutting the Hoyas 20-point lead down to 10, Georgetown was able to collect themselves and get back on track.

The problem for Syracuse in the end was not so much their defensive intensity because they actually were gaining momentum from their defense in the second half.

What did the Orange in was not being able to knockdown shots. Syracuse shot 7 of 26 from three-point land and 38.7% from the field for the game.

Tyler Roberson was able to keep the Orange afloat with his 15 points and eight rebounds on 5 of 7 shooting from the floor. But the Orange really did not threaten in this game until Michael Gbinje got his shooting stroke going.

Dec 5, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Georgetown Hoyas center Bradley Hayes (42) shoots the ball over Syracuse Orange center DaJuan Coleman (32) in the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Gbinije finally got going in the second half and finished with 23 points five rebounds and five assists.

If the Orange could have found a way to own the interior it may have served them well in this game also.

Aside from the fact that the Hoyas had the rebounding edge 36-27, they were able to get high percentage buckets thanks to the hard work of their big man Bradley Hayes who finished with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes of work.

Marcus Derrickson also put in some major work in the paint for Georgetown finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds of his own.

The Hoyas shot 8 of 20 from three-point land and 49% from the field overall.

John Thompson III’s team showed a lot of poise when the Orange were making a late game push to steal the game. Syracuse turned up the defensive pressure and forced Georgetown into some turnovers, but in the end the Hoyas were able to hold Syracuse off and get the victory.

This game was a throwback to the glory days of Big East basketball and the intensity was there from beginning to end.

This was also the first of nine games where Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins will be taking over the coaching duties for suspended Jim Boeheim.

Next: What Made UNLV's Win Over Oregon So Impressive

The effort from Syracuse was still there, though the execution was fleeting at times.

Next up for the Orange is a Tuesday home tilt against Colgate, while the Georgetown Hoyas have a Monday night matchup with Brown University.