Syracuse plastered 50 points on Charlotte in the first half and cruised to an 83-70 victory in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday. Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney led the Orange (4-0) with 26 and 19 points, respectively, as the 49ers (1-3) only shot 26.3 percent from behind the arc compared to SU’s 50-percent mark.

Here are three quick observations from Syracuse’s 13-point win.

Mr. Efficiency

Gbinije has already shown his ability to score from the point guard position, but had a season-high 26 points on an almost-lights out 82-percent mark from the field.

He hit 6-of-8 from deep and chipped in four assists to commandeer a Syracuse offense that put up its highest point total in four games this season. Gbinije hit his first three triples of the game, each stroking nothing but net, to help the Orange stretch an early lead that thinned toward the end.

The fifth-year senior is now averaging just more than 20 points per game as one of the primary scoring options a year after he averaged 12.8 as the tertiary choice on offense.

Fresh legs

Tyler Lydon was active on both ends of the court, finishing with a career-high 18 points to go along with seven defensive rebounds and six blocks. He hit from behind the arc, flew through the air for a block from the weak side, took a charge and converted at the rim on fast breaks.

With Syracuse up 15 and under five minutes remaining, Lydon sent a defender flying with a pump fake from behind the arc. He got another defender off his feet when he faked from mid-range then assisted on Michael Gbinije’s sixth 3 of the night.

The versatile freshman contributed in all facets against the 49ers, adding to a Syracuse offense that had four players in double figures. Even when Dajuan Coleman was in, Lydon often was too. Previously this season, the freshman would normally spell Coleman at center.

Get rich quick

If it wasn’t for Malachi Richardson, Charlotte would’ve scored the first 17 points of the second half. The 49ers came out guns blazing in the latter 20 minutes, burning the Orange in transition several times.

Syracuse’s freshman wing chipped in five points in between Charlotte runs, a 3 from the right corner and a pull-up jumper from the right wing, that prevented the 49ers from completely shifting momentum.

Richardson finished with 12 points on the day despite sitting on the bench more than normal in the first half. He wasn’t as prominent as fellow guards Gbinije and Cooney, but logged an efficient 4-of-6 day from the field after going 1-of-7 against Elon.

Published on November 25, 2015 at 4:33 pm