Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Jesse Edwards towered over his man — Bryant’s Antwan Walker — under the hoop. While he had three inches over Walker, Edwards crouched down as guards Justin Taylor and Joe Girard III moved the ball at the top of the key. 

Girard attempted the catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the left wing, but his shot hit the rim and the backboard. Edwards, though, had created space from his man and easily collected the rebound, scoring a layup to give the Orange a 61-60 lead — their first lead of the game.

It was Edwards’ 21st rebound of the evening, smashing his prior record of 12 set on Dec. 4, 2021 against Florida State. His rebounding helped Syracuse (3-3, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) get back into the game against Bryant (5-1, 0-0 America East). Edwards dominated, accounting for nearly half of the Orange’s total rebounds. But Edwards was removed from the game following his fifth personal foul, leading to Sherif Gross-Bullock making a layup with less than a second to go to give Bryant the 73-72 win.

While Edwards finished with eight offensive rebounds compared to 13 defensive rebounds, they came at crucial points to prevent Bryant from running away with the lead early on.

Nearly halfway into the second half, Girard scrambled to get a shot off as the shot clock expired. Girard made two quick moves to the right corner, sending off a fadeaway jumper that bounced off the rim a couple of times. 

The ball touched the hands of John Bol Ajak, but it was quickly swatted to the floor by Bryant’s Charles Pride. Edwards was in the vicinity of the ball, diving for it and creating a quick scrum between three players. He came away with the ball, passing out to Chris Bell, who passed out to Judah Mintz. Mintz drove inside and hit a jumper, drawing a foul in the process to make the score 13-9 after he converted the and-one.

Early into the second half, Girard took a deep 3-pointer to try and cut the Orange’s deficit down from 10 points. But Girard, who ended only making one shot on the night, missed as the ball hit the rim. Walker was the closest to the hoop, but Edwards easily leaped over him to keep possession for SU. Edwards quickly scored on a layup to make the game 42-34 in favor of Bryant.

“It’s just about being in the right position,” Edwards said. “Sometimes the ball is going to bounce toward you. I feel like I am athletic enough to get those.”

But Edwards also bounced off 6-foot-10 teammate Bol Ajak, who notched six rebounds of his own to add to SU’s total of 43. Edwards said the connection between him and Bol Ajak was similar to his on-court relationship with Girard because of how long they all have been playing together. Edwards also could be on the same page with Bol Ajak, even on seemingly bad plays. 

With just under nine minutes remaining in the second half, Edwards had to make up for a miss by Bol Ajak. Girard sent a slick bounce pass to Bol Ajak, who stood wide open at the center of the paint. But Bol Ajak’s jump shot hit the top of the rim and the top of the board before Edwards got a hold of it. He quickly tipped the ball to Bol Ajak, who kicked it down low to Justin Taylor. 

Taylor drew a shooting foul and got his 16th point of the game. He finished with a team-best 25 points, carrying the offensive load after Mintz’s first half ejection resulting from a slap fight with Doug Edert. 

“I played with him for so long that we can find each other well,” Edwards said of Bol Ajak. “I think he played well today when he came in so if he can do that a couple more times, we can start rolling with two high lows.” 

As Taylor fueled the comeback, Edwards provided the boards, giving the Orange their first lead of the night with over three minutes remaining. He collected a Gross-Bullock miss from the charity stripe. And on the other end, Edwards got his 21st rebound of the game off the missed Girard 3-pointer and scored the putback to give SU the lead. 

But on the next play, Gross-Bullock strode down the court, creating a set offense for the Bulldogs. As the ball moved around the key, Walker eventually got possession down. Walker drove down the lane, while Edwards stood sideways. Walker collided with Edwards’ left thigh before falling to the floor. 

Walker’s drive ended Edwards’ night, as this was his fifth personal foul. But he said even if the call was right or wrong, it’s still “on him” to not get in those situations.

Edwards’ fifth foul kept him cheering from the sidelines as the Orange went back-and-forth against the Bulldogs. But in the final moments of the game, following two Girard free throws, Gross-Bullock hustled down the court and inside the paint. As the final seconds ticked away, Gross-Bullock nailed his floater after it bounced once on the rim. 

Instead of facing Edwards at the hoop, Gross-Bullock went up against SU’s only available big man — Peter Carey. 

“If he’s in the game at the end, he blocks that shot,” Boeheim said. “He’s just got to be better at that.”

Published on November 26, 2022 at 9:06 pm

Contact Henry: [email protected]