Syracuse erased an anemic first half to beat St. Bonaventure, 79-66, in the Carrier Dome on Monday night.

It wasn’t a great sign that the Orange (2-0) had to use a second-half rally to fight off the mid-major Bonnies (1-1) on its own court. The visitors outmuscled and outrebounded, 43-33, and scored 29 second-chance points as SU starting center Dajuan Coleman played just 14 minutes.

But freshman Tyler Lydon was a viable Band-Aid for Coleman — who continues to inch back to his serviceable self — and the Orange gutted out the win. Here are three things we learned from the game.

1. Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije can also spark Syracuse from the defensive end 

In the first half, the Bonnies were getting the ball to Dion Wright in the middle of the zone and it allowed them to work an effective inside-out game. That helped St. Bonaventure shoot 6-of-16 from 3 in the first, and go into the break with a 35-29 lead.

Defending the high post is the guards’ responsibility in Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, and both Cooney and Gbinije said they made considerable defensive adjustments at halftime. By pressing out and using their long arms to keep the ball away from that spot, the pair combined for five second-half steals and 10 in the game.

SU head coach Jim Boeheim said SU’s defense improved as the game went on, and that started with the two up top.

“Mike and I know our positions, we know how to play it,” Cooney said. “When we get into the flow of the game and know our opponents, we’re able to jump plays and jump passes, and get deflections and steals. We’re continuing to do that a lot and it was big for us tonight.”

With Gbinije standing 6-foot-7 and Cooney 6-foot-4, it’s no question why they are successful atop Boeheim’s zone. But on Monday, they showed an ability to shift a game’s momentum by taking away the high post and taking the ball from the Orange’s opponent.

“With (Trevor) and Mike out there, they’ve both very good at defense,” Boeheim said. “And that helps us. St. Bonaventure has good guards, they’re tricky, and we for the most part kept them out of there and forced them into some tough shots.”

2. Lydon, as advertised, isn’t just a grinder 

In Syracuse’s two scrimmages and first game of the season, Lydon banged around in the paint and was hesitant on his jump shot.

But against the Bonnies, he confidently stepped into two second-half 3s that had a big effect on the game. The first 3 tied the game at 54-54 with 9:03 left in the game. The second came with the Orange holding a seven-point lead and just about sealed the win with 3:42 remaining.

Lydon played 31 minutes — mostly at center in place of Coleman — and finished with 13 points and six rebounds. He also shot an impressive 5-for-5 from the foul line, with four coming in succession down the stretch.

“You know he’s a freshman, and he’s been a little reluctant in one game,” Boeheim said at the suggestion that Lydon came out of his shell against St. Bonaventure. “… I think he grabbed his rhythm there. He made his foul shots and I think that helped him get going a little bit.

“But he can shoot, he knows it, it’s been two games.”

3. Defense kept Kaleb Joseph off the court 

Joseph, who’s coming off the bench after starting at point guard as a freshman last season, played just four minutes on Monday. Boeheim said Joseph has been playing well recently, but that his lackluster defense kept him off the court against the Bonnies.

He finished 0-for-1 from the field with a turnover and a steal.

“Kaleb’s played very, very well,” Boeheim said. “Tonight he was completely out of it, didn’t deserve to be in the game and he was out.”

Boeheim went on to say that most players, starting with Joseph but also including Coleman, will see less playing time if they’re not playing good defense. Joseph let St. Bonaventure get a few good looks from 3 in his short first-half stint, and Boeheim subbed him out for freshman guard Frank Howard, who played nine minutes after playing just three in the Orange’s opener.

Just a few plays prior, Joseph turned to find Malachi Richardson for an open 3 and threw the ball right into the arms of a defender. But it was clear after the game that struggles on the other end limited his action.

Published on November 17, 2015 at 11:52 pm