Syracuse (18-10, 8-7 Atlantic Coast) dropped its second game of the season to Pittsburgh, in similar fashion as the first. The Panthers (19-7, 8-6) used a late run to defeat the Orange, 66-52, and keep SU on the proverbial bubble.

Three Musketeers

Tyler Roberson, Malachi Richardson and Trevor Cooney combined to score just nine points and were non-factors almost the entire game. With 13 minutes to play, a Cooney 3 and a Richardson free throw had accounted for all of their scoring. Michael Gbinije chipped in only 10 points in the loss.

The trio shot a combined 2-of-20 from the field, and were spelled by the strong play of Tyler Lydon. Richardson started the second half by throwing a pass attempt into the hands of two Pitt defenders. He looked like he had turned the corner by scoring an isolation layup with 12 minutes to play, but proceeded to have another turnover and miss another 3.

After the Panthers grabbed a seven-point lead, Gbinije missed a point-blank jumper. Then Richardson missed a 3. And it never got any better than that.

Broken Glass

In the first half, Syracuse shot 48 percent from the field while Pittsburgh hit shots at a 39-percent clip. But the Panthers still controlled the lead going into halftime because of a 10-3 offensive rebounding edge. On the afternoon, Pittsburgh outrebounded Syracuse on the offensive end, 14-6. Pittsburgh took 10 more shots before the break.

After going scoreless for the first two minutes of the game, Pittsburgh’s Chris Jones got an offensive rebound that allowed Jamel Artis to attack the basket, score and get fouled on an SU defense that looked less than ready to handle it.

Syracuse allowed 14 offensive rebounds and 12 second-chance points, which kept the ball out of SU’s hands and gave the Orange fewer opportunities to score.

Career Day

Afters scoring a career-high 20 points against Boston College just six days before, Lydon feasted on a much stronger Pittsburgh team on Saturday. He scored 21 points and had two steals.

He found success from the left wing, hitting three wide-open 3-pointers there in the first half, including one just seconds before the buzzer to end the first half. With the rest of the starting contingent struggling, Lydon put the team on his back. After a Coleman block on one end in the second half, he raced back and positioned himself in the paint before connecting on an and-one. He gave the Orange the first lead of the second half by hitting a slightly-contested jumper from his favorite spot on the wing to make it 43-42.

But that shot was his last, and he could only carry the Orange for so long.

Published on February 20, 2016 at 4:15 pm