Syracuse won its second and final preseason game Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome against Le Moyne, 97-64. The Orange’s press was iffy, Andrew White showed what he’s capable of and SU’s point guards provided a dynamic duo.

Next up, Orange kicks off the regular season on Friday at 7 p.m. against Colgate in the Dome.

Here’s what we learned from the Orange’s win over the Dolphins.

Syracuse’s press can still use some work

SU came out for the second straight exhibition and pressed often, mostly in the first half. It forced Le Moyne to play at a high tempo but once the Dolphins beat the press, they had open shooters on the perimeter.

Le Moyne’s C.J. Asuncion-Byrd and Tanner Hyland combined to go 10-for-22 from behind the arc, capitalizing on the available space.

“Our defense, particularly our press, was not good,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “We let them get into open shot situations and they’re good shooters, they made them.”

Forty-two of Le Moyne’s 64 points came on 3s, highlighted by Hyland’s five deep balls within a five-minute span at the end of the first half.

On the way to the locker room, Boeheim gave Andrew White and Frank Howard an earful.

“I think the lesson for some of our new guys is in transition you have to do a better job of identifying the shooters,” Boeheim said. “They had two guys that shot it well. We really never identified them.”

Liam Sheehan | Staff Photographer

For the first time, Syracuse fans saw what Andrew White is capable of

White impressed early and often for Syracuse on Tuesday going 6-of-10 from 3 and finishing with 24 points.

He scored the Orange’s first basket of the game, a 3 off a pass from Tyler Roberson in the post. His best stretch of the game came later in the first half when he curled around a screen, caught another pass from Howard and knocked down another 3. He intercepted the ensuing inbound pass and dropped in a layup.

White kicked off the scoring again after halftime with a 3 on Syracuse’s first possession. He then poured in another jumper and another 3 from the wing to get him to 24 just five minutes into the second half.

“Andrew showed tonight how effective he can be shooting the basketball,” Boeheim said. “He didn’t have a lot of time but he still knocked those shots down.”

He flashed what the Orange knew it was getting this offseason: Nebraska’s 41-percent 3-point shooter last season. And after shooting 2-for-7 from 3 last week against Indiana University of Pennsylvania, White validated the high hopes for the season.

Liam Sheehan | Staff Photographer

Syracuse’s point guards each provide different strengths

Boeheim juggled his point guards a bit differently than the first preseason game. Howard played 25 minutes while John Gillon played 14. In the first exhibition, each played 20.

But Howard (11 points, seven assists) and Gillon (14 points, two assists) maximized the time they played combining for 25 points and nine assists. The two point guards each provide different strengths to the Orange’s lineup when they’re in the game.

“We have to figure out the best combinations and everything will work out,” Boeheim said.

Howard was able to control the game by getting teammates involved via pick and rolls and also penetrating when space opened up inside the paint as Le Moyne doubled Syracuse’s low-post players.

Gillon showed that he can change Syracuse’s pace when he enters the game. Within a two-minute span midway through the second half, he scored nine points. The 6-foot guard’s most impressive play came off a Taurean Thompson steal. Gillon caught the pass and bullied his way through two Le Moyne defenders at the rim. He made the basket while falling to the floor.

“He changes the pace. … He’s a scorer at heart. You saw, he ran up how many points in two minutes, just like that,” Howard said. “He can do that. But at the same time, I come in, keep the pace, get guys involved.”

Published on November 9, 2016 at 4:38 am

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