As the game clock dipped below three minutes, every Syracuse player had a highlight and they all added up to a 21-point lead against the 25th best team in the country.

Trevor Cooney, always burning Notre Dame, stole a pass in the backcourt before finishing an acrobatic three-point play. Malachi Richardson was pushed into the crowd while sinking a 3 and finished a four-point play. Michael Gbinije drove baseline and spun a reverse layup off the top of the backboard and into the net. Tyler Lydon hit two 3s as the first half wound down. Tyler Roberson soared above the rim for a crowd-pleasing tip-in. Dajuan Coleman went on a 5-0 run in the second half that was punctuated with an emphatic dunk.

 

On Thursday night, everything clicked for the Orange (14-8, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) and its 81-66 upset of the Fighting Irish (14-6, 5-3) hardly looked like an upset at all. After Notre Dame jumped out to a 5-0 lead, SU went on a 23-1 run the Fighting Irish could never overcome, especially with starting point guard Demetrius Jackson sitting with a hamstring injury. But even with Jackson sidelined, Syracuse’s fourth win over a ranked opponent added a little more shine to its tournament resume.

The Orange captured it by locking down the paint — neither Zach Auguste or Bonzi Colson scored in double-figures — and, more simply, never giving Notre Dame much of a chance.

“It starts with our defense, that’s the difference for us and we can score some points,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “But you know we scored a lot at Virginia and we couldn’t win. We’ve got to play better defense and that was really the difference tonight.”

Cooney was at the center of the 23-1 run, which started with 18:22 on clock and ended when Colson hit a floater at the 9:48 mark. Cooney scored 10 points in that span and, when the spurt ended and Syracuse’s momentum starting to wilt, stole a Colson outlet pass in the backcourt by sneakily sprinting in front of Steve Vasturia. In stride, Cooney collided with Colson in the paint and blindly tossed a layup through the rim while the baseline referee whistled for a foul.

When Cooney made the ensuing free throw, SU held the 17-point lead it took into halftime. He led all scorers with 15 first-half points, while Lydon chipped in 13 and six rebounds.

“Just staying aggressive and knocking down the looks that we had,” Lydon said of the Orange’s success in the first half. “And most importantly just getting defensive stops.”

The Fighting Irish cut the deficit to 12 at the start of the second, but Richardson’s four-point play pushed it back to 16. On the next possession, Gbinije glided around a ball screen and calmly sunk a jumper from the top of the key that made it 18.

Every time V.J. Beachem hit a 3 to inch UND a little closer, the Orange had an answer. A Gbinije drive and finish. A Cooney 3. Two free throws from Richardson. A Fighting Irish comeback, which was fleeting all night, was never considered as the game wound down.

With 2:23 left in the game, Cooney was called for hand checking Rex Pflueger in the backcourt. Boeheim sprung off the bench in usual fashion. Cooney turned to his coach, flapped his hands at his sides and smiled. Boeheim, in unusual fashion, smiled back, and walked back to his seat laughing and shaking his head.

Syracuse played its most complete game of the season and it seemed appropriate, even necessary, to let loose and enjoy it.

Shortly after the final buzzer sounded, Boeheim joked that he probably wouldn’t have won the Jim Boeheim look-alike contest at halftime. Walk-on Shaun Belbey did a mock interview in front of a TV camera, arm-and-arm with Lydon, and bragged about his cheering skills. Gbinije yelled across the locker room that while Richardson may seem tough, he’s actually a “softy” on the inside.

On Thursday, there was a lot to be happy about.

“I think Syracuse is an NCAA Tournament team,” UND head coach Mike Brey said. And on Thursday, the Orange sure looked like one.

Published on January 28, 2016 at 9:00 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse