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Maliq Brown screened hard and rolled toward the basket decisively. He hauled down defensive rebounds and filled the lane on every offensive trip. He cut with a purpose and helped breathe rhythm into SU’s ball movement when its guards were stuck.

A lone bright spot in Syracuse’s 20-point defeat Tuesday, Brown’s momentum-shifting dunks or timely tip-in’s provided a narrow lifeline whenever the Orange looked out of sorts. He couldn’t single-handedly force a sixth-straight SU victory, but his presence prevented further embarrassment for Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry’s side at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Jostling around the rim on both ends to hold his own opposite Duke’s perennial Atlantic Coast Conference stars Mark Mitchell and Kyle Filipowski — a matchup which he deemed “personal” postgame — Brown notched a career-high 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting. He collected a team-best seven rebounds, three of which were offensive, and played a season-high 33 minutes in Syracuse’s (10-4, 1-2 ACC) 86-66 loss to the Blue Devils (10-3, 1-1 ACC).

His performance, though likely rendered a minuscule, private victory in the big picture, arrives amid a stretch of impressive all-around displays. He’s now registered 56 points across the last three contests while maintaining a steady growth in action throughout his sophomore season.

“He’s kind of just starting to understand how good he can be,” Autry said of Brown. “I think our team is starting to understand how we can use him. He can do a lot of things for us, we’ve just got to surround him and help him.”

Though the Orange’s five-game win streak ended abruptly in Durham, North Carolina, Brown has become a key factor in SU’s success. When starting center Naheem McLeod felt discomfort in his foot on Dec. 17 at bitter rivals Georgetown, Brown stepped up with eight points and two steals in an 80-68 win. Against Oregon it was 13. Then, consecutive 15-point outings prior to taking on Duke.

Brown’s first basket Tuesday amplified his multifaceted ability. First, a rebound off of a Filipowski miss to spur a Syracuse fast break. Sprinting from one end to the other, he caught a pass from SU point guard Judah Mintz in-stride near the free throw line before avoiding Tyrese Proctor and TJ Power for an easy finish.

On another play, sensing guard Quadir Copeland had run out of real estate on a lefty drive along Duke’s baseline, Brown snuck deeper into the paint. Mitchell had left him uncontested to trap Copeland, but Brown’s movement freed up space for an easy dunk.

“My role is still the same,” Brown said when asked about how he’s elevated his game. “I’m just trying to do as much as possible for my teammates and just keep developing my game.”

Yet, a different edge has emerged. It could be the increase of playing time. It could be an uptick in confidence — a likely product of the former reasoning. Glimpses were shown when he canned a left-wing three, the first of his career, versus Niagara on Dec. 21 — part of a perfect 6-for-6 evening from the floor.

The make triggered postgame questioning of Brown’s recent output which Autry labeled as phenomenal. SU’s head coach also noted the forward attempts a flurry of perimeter shots in practice. Brown swished his second-ever from behind the arc against Duke. It didn’t look out of place and was in rhythm.

With 11:07 remaining in the first half, Syracuse seemingly drew a clear-out play to isolate Brown opposite Duke’s Ryan Young. Chris Bell floated away from the left corner and the Orange spread out. Brown immediately went to work. He drove left, absorbed contact and finished over the outstretched Young. The move looked rehearsed. It looked comfortable.

“He was special. I mean, I’ve seen it ever since high school. I’ve known him for a while and I know what he’s capable of,” SU guard Justin Taylor said. A native of Charlottesville, Va., Taylor grew up less than 50 miles away from Brown’s hometown of Culpeper. “He did a great job tonight. (He) kind of showed all facets of his game and kept us in the game for sure. Credit to him for what he did tonight.”

Brown’s do-it-all, swiss-army-knife archetype has long been cemented. The building blocks of his energy-charged, team-first mindset has been prevalent since he arrived at Syracuse last season.

But now, there’s more aggression. There’s an added level of maturity and consistency. Autry’s noticed it. He alluded to Brown being one of a few players who “step up here and there, here and there,” which he said will be pivotal for the Orange to build around as they continue to grow.

So, on an evening like Tuesday, when SU’s 17 turnovers translated into 26 Duke points and a harsh defeat, Brown’s showing presented a silver lining. It’s faint, but guarantees that stability can be expected from Brown in the next 18 ACC matchups.

“Obviously he’s a willing passer and a team-first kind of guy, but we want him to be more aggressive,” Taylor said. “If he’s aggressive like he was tonight, obviously it’s going to help us win games.”

Published on January 3, 2024 at 2:46 am

Contact Tyler: [email protected] | @theTylerSchiff