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After losses to No. 10 Tennessee and No. 11 Gonzaga, Syracuse crushed Allstate Maui Invitational host Chaminade 106-50. It returned to the JMA Wireless Dome Tuesday hosting LSU, as part of the first-ever ACC/SEC Challenge.

Both teams struggled from the field in the first half, as Syracuse shot just 28% in the opening half. The focal point for the Orange was again Judah Mintz, who recorded a career high 33 points, shooting 9-of-16 from the field and 13-of-15 from the free-throw line. In the second half, Syracuse (5-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) stormed away, outsourcing the Tigers 80-57 en route to its fifth win of the season.

Here are some observations from SU’s blowout win over LSU (4-3, 0-0 Southeastern Conference)

Judah, Judah and more Judah

Mintz’s ability to take over games has been crucial for the Orange early on. It helped them in their win over New Hampshire as well as when he notched a then-career high 26 points against Canisius a couple weeks ago. Tuesday was no different, especially in the first half and early on in the second, recording a new career high just a few minutes into the second half.

Accounting for over half of Syracuse’s 33 first-half points, Mintz went 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, which was a representation of his aggression to the basket, as Syracuse was in the bonus for the final several minutes of the opening half.

Off an airball by the Tigers, the Orange attacked in transition. Mintz added to his highlight reel with a one-handed poster slam over Mwani Wilkinson.

Mintz scored the Orange’s first 12 points in the second half. On the personal run, he had a tough drive against Mike Williams III, forcing Williams III’s fourth personal foul while converting on the 3-point play. Then, from the corner, he drained his second 3-pointer of the evening. The stretch of play by Mintz gave the Orange a comfortable double-digit lead.

Defense takes away Will Baker

Entering the game, Baker, a 7-foot graduate transfer who previously played at Texas and Nevada, was the Tigers’ leading scorer. But he was held mostly ineffective, having three fouls and just three points midway into the second half — Syracuse held a 18-point advantage at this point.

To get Syracuse’s first points of the evening, Naheem McLeod stuffed a Baker attempt at the basket. In transition, the ball made its way to Justin Taylor on the left wing and he hit a triple. Similarly, another McLeod block fueled the transition offense.

Rather than attacking the glass immediately, Syracuse moved the ball around briefly, finding Taylor in the left wing. Taylor kicked out to Mintz, who drove and kissed it off the glass for a 14-10 lead. Benny Williams also added a pair of blocks in the first half, sending one of Jordan Wright’s jumpers into the courtside seats to enter a media timeout.

McLeod played very tight defense against Baker, who often tried to back him down low. In back-to-back plays in the first half, Baker tried to pivot his way around for an open look, but couldn’t beat the shot clock. The next, physical defense by McLeod forced a missed layup down low. Baker finished just 1-of-5 from the field with three points.

Tigers taking the offensive boards

Wright was open at the top of the key for a 3-pointer. He missed it, one of just 21 misses from beyond the arc for the Tigers. Off the Wright miss, Jalen Reed crashed the glass, hovering over a Syracuse defender for a putback dunk.

The Tigers found ways to extend possessions, getting easy offensive rebounds and putbacks. They had 12 offensive rebounds in the first half and the offensive glass has been an area where the Tigers have been strong all season. In all games except two this season, LSU has garnered double-digit offensive rebounds, including a season-high 18 against Wake Forest.

On another extended possession, Tyrrell Ward corralled the offensive rebound as the Tigers elected to reset the offense. At the top of the key, the ball found Wright, who penetrated into the lane and bounced it high off the glass for a 2. Because of its 3-point struggles, LSU went into the paint, scoring 22 of its 28 first half points inside.

Consistently knocking down the 3-ball

Part of the Orange’s ability to create a 20-plus point lead was because of 3-pointers from players like Chris Bell and Taylor. To start the second half, Bell went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc, knocking down attempts off catch-and-shoot opportunities.

It somewhat resembled his performance against Colgate, where he went 6-of-14 from beyond the arc and scored a career-high 25 points. Bell finished with 20 points, shooting 60% from deep Tuesday. Collectively, the Orange had 11 3-pointers in the win.

Taylor notched his second 3-pointer off of strong ball movement. Originally, Taylor had the ball down low, trying to find a way to score inside before kicking it out to Quadir Copeland. Copeland dished it to Bell, who sent it to Taylor, who resettled in the corner for a triple.

Published on November 28, 2023 at 9:30 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini