Perfect in Providence

Scintillating Syracuse is a fun team to follow. The fourth ranked Orange remained perfect on the road this season after defeating Providence 99-85. Syracuse improved to 26-2 and 13-2 in the Big East with a win over the Friars Tuesday night in Rhode Island’s Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Rick Jackson and Andy Rautins scored 28 points each to steer Syracuse to a shootout success.
Providence’s 85 points were the most by any Syracuse opponent this season. The Friars fired ten first half 3-pointers, and finished the game with a fervent fourteen. Providence tallied 13 points in the opening period to take the lead after the Orange built a 34-25 edge in the game’s first six minutes. Rautins rolled a 3-pointer just before the half, and has been hitting 57% from downtown through the last three games. The Orange found themselves down by five at the half. Providence shot 59% in the stirring first half. It was just the second time this season the Orange trailed at the break. The home team took a 55-47 advantage on Jamine Peterson’s trey to open the second half. Peterson and Marshon Brooks both scored 23 points for Providence. The Orange were forced to get defensive after halftime. Jim Boeheim’s Orange held Providence to one basket over a nine minute span in the third period. The Friars, losers of six straight games, went 4-for-14 from the arc in the second half.
Syracuse slashed the Friars’ lead with fourteen unanswered points to start the second half. Brandon Triche followed his steal with a fastbreak layup and Wes Johnson notched a jumper to complete the 14-0 run for Syracuse. The Orange decimated a 55-47 deficit into a crushing 73-57 advantage. Syracuse pushed the lead for good in the game’s last fifteen minutes. Providence lacked any inside punch as the Orange’s perimeter defense adjusted from protecting the high post to stuffing the outside shot. The Friars hardly responded to the change in coverage. Providence pounded 16 points in the paint during the second half after scoring 18 in the first. The Friars were outscored 52-33 in the second half. They also committed 16 turnovers, including 11 after the half. Feisty Orange forward, Arinze Onuaku collected 12 points and nine rebounds in nineteen minutes. Johnson had 10 points, five steals and three blocks in the win. The victory gives Syracuse a first round double bye in the conference tournament and a number one seed in the NCAAs. Tuesday’s triumph in Providence host Villanova at the Carrier Dome on Saturday. An Orange win coupled with any Pittsburgh loss would give Syracuse at least a share of the Big East title. Boeheim’s club has yet to lose a conference game this season.

Parting Points:
Hump day hit- Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You”

Happy Birthday, Mom-
“You too, my mother, read my rhymes
For love of unforgotten times,
And you may chance to hear once more
The little feet along the floor.” -Robert Louis Stevenson