NEW YORK — The 3-point attempt clanged off the far end of the rim and bounced high off the backboard, back toward the right corner from where it came. But then a large right hand appeared from seemingly nowhere and altered the ball’s trajectory.

Syracuse’s redshirt freshman forward Matthew Moyer had taken flight, seemingly sitting on the backs of Connecticut guard Christian Vital and forward Eric Cobb when he slammed down the monstrous put-back dunk.

“Coach (Jim Boeheim) always tells me to go to the glass,” Moyer said. “If I do that, I have a chance to get buckets. If I get one bucket, it’s going to get me in the flow of the game. … If I get it going like this, I’m going to be a problem for a lot of teams.”

In the Orange’s seven previous games this season, Moyer scored 17 points. On Tuesday night, Moyer had 18 in a career performance that keyed Syracuse (7-1) to a 72-63 victory over Connecticut (6-3) in the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden. He also chipped in eight rebounds and a steal, while turning it over twice. The night held special importance to Moyer, he said, because it was his father’s birthday on Monday, and both parents watched the game sitting just behind the Orange’s bench.

Moyer was an unlikely hero to save Syracuse as it struggled on offense, with point guard Frank Howard shooting 1-for-10 with nine turnovers, and wasn’t at full strength, with Boeheim holding freshman center Bourama Sidibe out in the second half because of an ankle injury. Yet without Moyer’s play, Boeheim said, the Orange likely would have lost. Tyus Battle, SU’s star guard and Moyer’s roommate, said he’s prepared to hear about the dunk “for a while.”

When asked about what made this game different for Moyer, Boeheim said, “I have no clue. He’s been horrible all year. And that’s being nice. I’m being nice. ‘Horrible’ is a nice word for what he’s done. He was a terrific player tonight, and I think he can build on this.”

A seldom-used player on offense, Moyer nearly eclipsed his previous career-high of 11 points in the first half. He finished the frame with 10, adding another dunk, a 3-pointer and a free throw enabled by effectively exploiting the baseline, which Boeheim said he needs to when defenses focus on Howard or Battle or active, long freshman forward Oshae Brissett.

On the first possession of the game, Moyer started his own offense with defense. Moyer stole the ball, but then, down the floor, traveled. Boeheim wildly pointed and screamed at Moyer, a familiar sight. The turnover seemed to doom the forward to a quick hook he’s become accustomed to this season. It didn’t, and a few plays later, Moyer finished a contested layup to jumpstart his scoring spree.

“I love the travel, actually,” Moyer said. “The travel was awesome for me. I got the ball and said, ‘You know what? I need to be aggressive and go. It doesn’t matter if you turn it over, just get it and go.’”

Moyer added: “I’m a freshman. I’m young. Coach needs to build more trust in me. If I make mistakes, I’m not going to play as much, but if I go back in there and make an impact immediately, then he’ll let me play.”

After the first half, Moyer seemed to cool considerably. Moyer grabbed an offensive rebound but missed the put-back and when he got to the free-throw line, he missed one and made one. Battle reassumed his normal duties carrying the offensive load — he finished with 22 points on 8-for-18 shooting — as he maintained Syracuse’s lead. It stretched to 17 late in the first half, but the pesky Huskies continued chipping away and slowly inched back into the game. Syracuse’s advantage hovered between seven and 14 throughout the half.

Then, with 10 minutes to go, Moyer reawakened.

Off a rare miss from Jalen Adams, UConn’s star junior guard who finished with 22 points, Moyer snared a defensive rebound and started a break. A few seconds later, Moyer threw down the second of his three dunks and flexed just as he had on the tip-back.
Late in the half, UConn head coach Kevin Ollie became frustrated his team wasn’t chipping away further at Syracuse’s lead. Ollie stamped into the court so hard it could be heard all the way across the Garden. The Huskies closed in, whittling Syracuse’s lead down to eight with two minutes to go.

The crowd rose, sensing it might be UConn’s last push. Battle, hoping to quiet them, rose up for a 3-pointer. It clanked off the rim and, almost eerily, Moyer again started running from about 15 feet, skied in and put down another put-back dunk.

“I was like, ‘Nobody’s blocking me out?’” Moyer said. “Are you serious? I think I boosted off somebody. I was like whoa! (The dunk) just flowed out of me.”

Syracuse’s lead was pushed out of reach when, on defense, Moyer nabbed another steal. To cap a career night, he slammed again with under a minute remaining to remove any doubt from the game’s final result. The flush bookended the night for Moyer and Syracuse, and it finally pushed away a Huskies team that, until the final possession, gave the Orange all it could handle.

After the game, a large media scrum formed around Moyer in the locker room. The forward smiled and laughed. Boeheim walked by and said, “Nobody’s talked to you all year. Why’re they doing (it) now?”

The group turned to Boeheim, who added before walking out: “They love you when you’re going good.”

The media turned back. Moyer looked down. He laughed a little softer this time.

“Anyways,” he said. “That was crazy.”

Published on December 6, 2017 at 12:01 am

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR