SOUTH BEND, Ind. — There was no music coming from the loud speakers, no noise out of the Notre Dame centric crowd at Purcell Pavilion. Elijah Hughes strummed his air guitar anyways, to the fine tune of silence.

In Syracuse’s (10-4, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) first conference game of the season, one that followed a tough nonconference slate with four losses, a win became much-needed. In a turbulent season, Hughes’ consistency has become essential to Syracuse’s success. It didn’t matter that Saturday’s game was on the road, or Hughes’ first-ever taste of the ACC, as the junior guard notched career-highs in points, rebounds and 3s in the Orange’s 72-62 win over Notre Dame (10-5, 0-2) on Saturday afternoon inside Purcell Pavilion.

“If no one’s there, I think shoot it,” said Hughes, who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 6-of-13 from 3. “If someone’s there, and I feel I have enough space, I think shoot it.”

It was unexpected for Hughes to become part of SU’s big three alongside Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett in his first playing season with the Orange. He battled injuries at East Carolina and sat out a year due to the NCAA transfer rules. His junior season at SU is his first healthy college season.

With Frank Howard battling back from a lower leg injury, the junior transfer was thrown into the spotlight and has looked comfortable ever since. Since the season-opener, his first competitive game in over a year, Hughes has scored 14-plus points in all but one game. And most of the time, he can be found among the top-three scorers for the Orange.

Hughes’ shot soon became a weapon with his physicality near the paint becoming an added bonus for the Orange. He was instrumental in an upset road win against Ohio State, then again in a come-from-behind win against Georgetown.

So when Hughes opened the second half with a defensive rebound, corralled the offensive board on a missed Howard shot and then the very next possession nailed a 3, it wasn’t surprising. And his guitar solo that followed suit wasn’t either.

“He could do that every night,” said Brissett, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. “He scores on all three levels.”

It wasn’t just the six 3s he drained that propelled Syracuse to victory, but Hughes’ double-digit rebounds, his highest total at SU, proved vital. SU ranked 244th in the country, per Kenpom.com, in allowing offensive rebounds coming into the game.

Head coach Jim Boeheim constantly emphasized attacking the glass, knowing it could lead to a momentum shift if the Orange allowed too many second-chance opportunities. The 6-foot-6 forward tried to be more aggressive on the glass, snagging the ball when he could, and successfully grabbed a team-high nine defensive rebounds.

Without school being in session, Hughes said having a week to just practice was extremely beneficial. Whenever he found time, he shot. Over and over, just trying to smooth his motion out. Even before practice, Hughes and the guards would work on shooting 3s, trying to get the “stress off,” he said. Come game time, it was about execution.

“He’s been shooting the ball well,” Boeheim said. “… He’s a good player, I think he will get better.”

In nonconference play, Syracuse found little to no success shooting 3s. The Orange entered Saturday shooting beyond the arc at a 29.9 percent clip, 309th in the country, per Kenpom.com.

Knowing that, Notre Dame switched between man-to-man and a zone, while also packing its defense inside the arc. They dared Syracuse to shoot, playing limited perimeter defense. It was an appetizing option for a trigger-happy Hughes, who made half of SU’s 12 treys on Saturday.

As the Fighting Irish battled back, cutting the deficit to two on a slam dunk from John Mooney, Howard airballed a shot. Momentum began to shift with Notre Dame starting a small run. But on the next possession, Hughes nailed a 3 to extend Syracuse’s lead to five.

Minutes later, UND’s Nate Laszewski swished a 3. Screams and cheers from the crowd ensued and didn’t let up.

The crowd stayed loud after Marek Dolezaj fouled out and D.J. Harvey made both free throws to pull within two. It continued on the following possession, after Paschal Chukwu couldn’t finish an alley-oop pass before missing the layup and fouling out himself.

It grew even louder when Hughes caught the ball a few feet from the 3-point line, with Syracuse up two and under six minutes remaining. The noise didn’t matter, he pulled the trigger.

Then, more silence.

Published on January 5, 2019 at 4:22 pm

Contact Charlie: [email protected] | @charliedisturco