Fast reaction: 3 takeaways from Syracuse’s loss to St. John’s
Sam Maller | Staff Photographer
St. John's Durand Johnson dribbles around Tyler Roberson with his hands extended high on defense.
NEW YORK – Syracuse (7-3) couldn’t overcome a dismal performance from beyond the arc, falling to St. John’s (7-3), 84-72, on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. The Orange never inched closer than seven points in the second half, sputtering down the stretch as St. John’s continued to stunt any SU comeback.
Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s third loss in its last four games.
Shooter’s (un)touch
After easing back into form against Colgate, Malachi Richardson struggled mightily against St. John’s. His lone two points in the first half came on a pair of free throws while he went 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-5 from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
He infused a sliver of life into Syracuse at the start of the second half, making two baskets while drawing fouls on each. But he wasn’t able to finish off the three-point play either time.
The freshman finished with 15 points, but shot a dismal 4-of-20 from the field and 0-of-11 from 3 as SU struggled to find a groove from the field.
Who?
Amar Alibegovic was averaging 3.9 points per game and a 26-percent clip from 3-point range coming into Sunday. But the 6-foot-9 sophomore hit 3-of-4 from deep en route to 15 points to pace the Red Storm past Syracuse.
Each shot was followed with an elaborate celebration from the Italy native, who had scored three or fewer points in four of the five games he’d played.
He tacked on nine rebounds to go along with his eye-opening display from the field, playing unusual vital minutes down the stretch for SJU.
Same old, same old
If there’s been one constant for Syracuse this season, it’s been Michael Gbinije. He bested his 19.7 scoring average with 21 on Sunday, leading a stagnant Orange offense in the loss.
He shot 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc, accounting for 60 percent of the Orange’s makes from deep.
SU’s best player couldn’t help it make one last desperate attempt, picking up his fifth foul with 1:15 left.
Published on December 13, 2015 at 2:11 pm
Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman
