Everyone on the bench was telling Michael Carter-Williams he needed a rebound. That’s all that stood between him and a triple-double in a game that the sophomore point guard controlled at both ends of the floor.

“I was so close, but didn’t get it,” Carter-Williams. “It’s all part of the fun of the game. It gives me another try to get it next game.”

Carter-Williams scored 18 points, dished out 13 assists and grabbed nine rebounds in Syracuse’s 96-62 win over Central Connecticut State Monday. After having two of his worst games of the season against Temple and Alcorn State, Carter-Williams erased those struggles and steadily keyed the Orange’s offense like he had through the early part of the season.

After missing his first four shots of the game, including a 3-pointer, Carter-Williams found his form from the outside. He knocked down a 3 that put Syracuse up 23-21 with 6:51 to go in the first half. Carter-Williams held his stroke as he watched the ball swish through the net before he turned to run up the court to defend.

From there, Central Connecticut State had no way to shut him down. Carter-Williams said after the game that once his shots start falling, he’s going to keep putting shots up. It makes him a tougher player to defend.

“I just think I need to have defenders respect all parts of my game,” Carter-Williams said. “People are starting to go underneath screens, laying off me a little, forcing me to shoot the ball. If I shoot the ball and the ball starts going in, they’re going to have to start playing me differently and that opens up lanes for my teammates.”

In his last three games combined, Carter-Williams was 5-of-26 from the field, good for 19.2 percent. He only hit one 3 during that span. Teams, especially Temple, forced him to shoot by eliminating his passing options.

On Monday, though, he scored and handed out assists. At the 10:39 mark of the first half, he stole the ball from Central Connecticut State forward Terrell Allen and raced up the court. Instead of forcing a shot, he waited for his offense to get set and found James Southerland right behind him on the left wing. He gave him a short pass and Southerland knocked down the catch-and-shoot 3-pointer.

Carter-Williams has rarely struggled making assists this season, but his scoring hasn’t been as consistent. A 6-of-10, 18-point performance Monday helped him start to turn that around.

“He’s made shots this year, made big shots, he’s going to make some more,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “He’s going to miss some. The year will go on.”

Carter-Williams also put his intensity on display. Late in the game, he nearly lost the ball when the Blue Devils’ Brandon Peel tried to poke it away on Syracuse’s defensive end. The ball made it a couple of feet away, but Carter-Williams dove onto the floor to secure it, drawing a foul on Peel in the process.

Senior guard Brandon Triche said after the game he doesn’t think Carter-Williams lost any confidence during his two-game stretch of struggles. There might’ve been disappointment, but no loss of self-assurance.

“Confidence-wise he didn’t get down. He got down on himself a little bit,” Triche said. “Any player would just because you know you’re capable of doing better. This is just a regular night for him.”

Carter-Williams left the game with 59 seconds remaining, and he left without his triple-double. He smirked as he walked back to the bench and the walk-ons took the floor, knowing he missed it by one measly rebound.

His hot shooting performance, though, made it worth it.

“It’s real important. It brings my confidence up,” Carter-Williams said. “I’m going to keep shooting the ball and try to be successful with it. I practice it every day, so why not go out there and shoot it with confidence.”

Published on December 31, 2012 at 7:44 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman