PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Syracuse (10-4, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) lost its first conference game of the season, 72-61, to Pittsburgh (11-1, 1-0). Here are three quick observations from SU’s loss. 

Big men on campus

Syracuse found success on offense going mostly to the interior. It shot just 15 3-pointers and scored most of its points in the paint. The Orange went to a primarily big lineup, featuring Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney, Dajuan Coleman, Tyler Lydon and Tyler Roberson.

A lot of in the interior success was due to the play of Roberson, who scored 15 points and showed a penchant for creating baskets off the dribble. With Syracuse down four after a Cameron Johnson 3 late in the second half, Roberson dribbled from top of the key and finished an old-fashioned 3-point play after a spin move to the basket.

Coleman fouled out and Tyler Lydon had four himself. And late in the game, it proved too much for the Orange. With Syracuse down 3, Sheldon Jeter laid in a bucket from the paint, got fouled, and jumped high in the air as Syracuse saw its first conference game of the season slip away.

 Don’t care if you’re board

The Orange has struggled to rebound all season and the start of conference play proved to be no different. Syracuse was picked apart on the glass, 43-25. This included an 19-8 advantage on the offensive glass. After the first half, Pittsburgh had 13 second chance points to Syracuse’s zero.

Syracuse stayed in the game by limiting its turnovers (10) and shooting 43.5 percent from the field. And though the 2-3 zone defense allowed the Panthers to grab offensive rebounds, it also forced Pittsburgh to shoot 40.7 percent from the field. But Pittsburgh’s clear rebounding advantage helped it come back in the second half and eventually pull away from SU.

Pin point

Trevor Cooney, often lambasted as a poor conference-play shooter, started off the ACC season with a bang on Wednesday. He scored 15 points and even pulled down six rebounds.

With 12 minutes left in the first half, he picked up a defensive board, dribbled up to the top of the key and didn’t hesitate on a 3-pointer. Right after Syracuse got its first lead of the game in the second half, Cooney hit a catch-and-shoot 3 from the corner.

After missing 11 straight 3-pointers for a stretch of nonconference action, the senior guard has now made 10 of his last 19 shots from beyond the arc.

Published on December 30, 2015 at 11:16 pm