Ennis, Cooney struggle from field in No. 1 Syracuse’s win over N.C. State
Yuki Mizuma | Staff Photographer
Trevor Cooney and Tyler Ennis both struggled from the field Saturday night against the Wolfpack. Jim Boeheim said Syracuse needs the backcourt duo to be effective on offense going forward.
Jim Boeheim has said it all year. Tyler Ennis rarely plays like a freshman.
On Saturday, though, Boeheim said Ennis did just that.
He scored nine points and dished out six assists, including the game-winner to C.J. Fair, but he also turned the ball over four times and shot just 3-of-10 from the field. He was called for pushing off with 15 seconds to go and struggled to get into a rhythm all night.
Ennis’ backcourt mate Trevor Cooney was inconsistent as well, shooting 3-of-10. In No. 1 Syracuse’s (25-0, 12-0 Atlantic Coast) 56-55 win over North Carolina State, the duo couldn’t exploit the Wolfpack’s (16-9, 6-6) inferior guards. Over the past three games, Ennis is shooting just 9-of-28, while Cooney has hit a mere 10-of-28.
A combined 34 percent.
“We’re a really good team when those two guys are scoring,” Boeheim said. “They struggled a little bit tonight, and we need those two guys to be effective on offense.”
Boeheim remembers back in Maui, Hawaii, when Ennis and Cooney carried Syracuse offensively. During that stretch, people started to realize just how potent they could be working off each other.
When Ennis drew the defense, Cooney spotted up and nailed it. When defenders honed in on Cooney and sagged off Ennis, Ennis would drive to the rack for two.
Against California, Ennis dropped 28 on 9-of-12 shooting. Cooney scored 23 against the Golden Bears and averaged more than 16 during the Maui Invitational.
But against N.C. State, Ennis and Cooney were inefficient. Cooney missed uncontested 3s he typically nails. Ennis missed layups he usually converts, including one in the final seconds.
Despite the backcourt’s recent struggles scoring the ball, Cooney isn’t worried. He’s confident they’ll continue to do what they’ve done the majority of the season.
“I think we’re fine,” he said. “Every game’s going to be different. Sometimes we might get in a good groove early and it kind of goes from there. Sometimes we might find it in different spurts.”
Cooney knows the importance of playing well as a unit going forward, and is fully confident he and Ennis will do so.
“Tyler and I have been playing well together,” Cooney said, “and we’re going to continue to play well together.”
Published on February 16, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
