PITTSBURGH — On the last leg of a three-game road trip, Syracuse (16-6, 7-2 Atlantic Coast) picked up its second win in as many weeks over Pittsburgh (12-10, 2-7), by a score of 65-56. Here are three quick takeaways from Saturday might’s game at the Petersen Events Center.

Near goose egg

Junior shooting guard Tyus Battle didn’t score until the midpoint of the second half, when he cut to the middle of the floor and got a floater to go down. On Wednesday at Boston College, he scored 31 and put on a show. The contrast was stark in Pittsburgh. He had five dimes, sometimes running the point, but he shot just 2 for 13. He didn’t attack with the aggressiveness he vowed he should, and he didn’t shoot often — or well — in what’s likely just a blip on his scoring resume.

Big man on campus

Senior center Paschal Chukwu finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, one of the more complete performances of his season. While he allowed a couple of Pitt backdoor cuts behind him, he managed the pick-and-roll game well and handled dump-off passes. That’s new. In recent weeks, he’s mishandled passes and given up second-chances.

During conference play, Chukwu has largely been ineffective. SU head coach Jim Boeheim spoke with a concerned tone Wednesday night after SU’s win over BC, saying Chukwu and sophomore forward Marek Dolezaj need to produce more inside. Chukwu entered the weekend coming off back-to-back two-point games. He totaled 11 rebounds in his previous three games combined, a total he nearly matched Saturday alone.

Holding on

While Syracuse’s more challenging section of conference play lies ahead, the Orange have managed to handle games that are close. Boston College ended up being a two-possession game. Duke was an overtime win by four points. Pittsburgh represents the latest example in a trio of conference wins for SU, which is far from great at this stage in the season — but they’ve shown an ability to close out games in which they could have faltered. The difference is three wins, not three losses, and a 7-2 ACC record versus a losing one.

Published on February 2, 2019 at 8:01 pm

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