Syracuse (7-4) got back to its winning ways with a 105-57 victory over Eastern Michigan (6-5) on Monday night in the Carrier Dome. The Orange was just two days removed from a 78-71 loss to Georgetown and had lost four of its previous six entering Monday. Eastern Michigan’s 2-3 zone, run by former SU assistant Rob Murphy, was shredded for 15 3-pointers and 34 assists by the Orange.

The Big Moment: Tyler Lydon strains right Achilles tendon

The sophomore forward went up for a rebound with just under four and a half minutes left in the first half. He corralled the ball with one hand but after landing on his right foot, he hopped around on the court for five seconds until the referee called for the injury timeout.

At halftime, Syracuse announced he strained his right Achilles tendon. He remained in the locker room for the entire second half after hobbling there with trainer Brad Pike following his departure from the contest. It was announced on the ESPNU broadcast that he was being held out of the second half as a precaution.

In a game the Orange controlled, an injury to arguably its best player is the worst possible thing that could’ve happened.

Stud: Taurean Thompson

The freshman forward subbed in and immediately made an impact in the first half. In his first two minutes of action, Thompson hit a 3, drove to the basket for a layup, recorded an assist on a dunk and blocked a shot.

He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He often found the soft spot in Eastern Michigan’s 2-3 zone in the high post and dished passes to the low block for baskets at the rim.

Dud: Eastern Michigan’s James Thompson

Thompson entered the game averaging 15.6 points and 12 rebounds but was shut down against the Orange. He went 0-for-5 from the field, finishing with four points, all from the free-throw line. His most notable moment of the night was when he got tied up with Dajuan Coleman three minutes into the second half and was called for a foul. Players on both teams held back their respective teammate to avoid a larger altercation between Coleman and Thompson.

Highlight: Frank Howard’s dunk to put SU up, 10-2

Just about three and a half minutes into the game, Howard cut to the basket from the left wing. Off an assist from John Gillon, he slammed it home, giving Syracuse an eight-point lead. Howard struggled two days ago against Georgetown, committing six turnovers, and a big play to start the game was just what he needed to get going. The play forced Eastern Michigan to call a timeout and SU never looked back from there.

Lowlight: Syracuse’s occasional defensive lapses

Multiple times in the first half, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim yelled to his players on the Orange’s defensive end.

With 6:15 left in the first half, Boeheim yelled “Tyus!” to Tyus Battle as players walked off the court after an SU timeout. The Orange had just let up an uncontested mid-range jumper from the free-throw line, an area in which the guards could have dropped down to in order to prevent the shot.

About three minutes later, Boeheim yelled, “You gotta start moving your feet!” as Syracuse walked over to the bench for a media timeout an EMU score.

Published on December 19, 2016 at 9:00 pm