A quick glance at the box score and DaJuan Coleman only scored six points in 15 minutes of action. But the freshman center’s contributions in the paint came at crucial points during Syracuse’s 72-61 win over Villanova on Saturday.

His first bucket of the second half, a strong move finished on the left side of the glass, gave SU a six-point lead with 13:09 left. His second came after the Wildcats closed to within one point, an emphatic slam off an up-and-under move that led to an ovation from the Carrier Dome crowd when he checked out 21 seconds later.

“I thought DaJuan made a couple good plays,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “We got him the ball in position and he made a couple good plays out there for us which I think was good.”

Coleman was decisive underneath on his two scoring chances, a contrast to his hesitant play early in the season. And he also brought a physical presence in SU’s zone, leading Boeheim to say he was more “engaged “ on the defensive end. Coleman grabbed two rebounds and added a steal in his limited minutes.

Coleman said he’s focused on making strong moves to the basket, especially as SU continues conference play against tough opponents. And he accomplished that Saturday with his strong play offensively.

“This is Big East play, you ain’t going to get the fouls so just go strong to the basket,” Coleman said. “That’s what I did.”

And when he wasn’t on the court, Coleman remained intent on the game watching from the bench.

He was emotional running down the court after his first basket gave SU some breathing room. And he released more excitement heading to the bench with Syracuse still holding onto its three-point lead.

Minutes later, after Trevor Cooney’s 3-pointer put the Orange up by 14 to seal the win, he was the first to jump off the bench.

“I just try to bring energy and anything I can do to get the team pumped up” Coleman said. “Because when you get the team pumped up, everybody’s scoring everybody’s involved, the crowd’s involved and it kind of shifted our way so that’s what I tried to do.

“That’s the player I’m trying to be.”

Published on January 12, 2013 at 7:36 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu