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The first six minutes didn’t provide hope that what this game was supposed to be — an easy Syracuse win over Georgetown, with a fitting halftime ceremony honoring Jim Boeheim and Pearl Washington sprinkled in the middle — would actually become reality. 

The Orange trailed 3-0 after 17 seconds, 7-0 a minute later and 17-6 at the 14:15 mark. Georgetown was shooting 70%. Syracuse couldn’t buy a basket. Boeheim had burned a timeout less than two minutes in, and a halftime ceremony officially inducting him and Washington into the JMA Wireless Dome’s Ring of Honor was in 18 minutes. But the start had Boeheim thinking he wouldn’t speak during the ceremony, or would get booed if he did. 

By the time halftime had arrived, though, Boeheim was at midcourt, present. And so was a double-digit Syracuse lead after a 14-4 run capped off the half. Jesse Edwards and Joe Girard III found a rhythm, Judah Mintz notched his first career double-double, John Bol Ajak and Symir Torrence provided a boost off the bench and the Orange (6-4, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) carried that energy and lead throughout the second half en route to an 83-64 win over former Big East rival Georgetown (5-6, 0-1 Big East). 

“The first-half run really changed the game for us,” Mintz said. “We showed that we can bounce back and keep being aggressive as the game goes on, and today was a pretty good win for us.” 

The Hoyas, who, despite losing their last 21 games last season and suffering defeats against mid-majors American and Loyola Marymount earlier this year, looked prepared to handle SU and the 2-3 zone, specifically, early. Part of that was SU’s poor defense — with wings out of position and well-timed screens wiping guards out of plays — but Georgetown also used the free-throw line well, using Akok Akok to generate open midrange looks or pass inside to Qudus Wahab, with Edwards forced to guard both. One play just like that led to a Wahab dunk that put the Hoyas up 14-4. 

Syracuse got back in it, though. There were differences of opinion postgame on why the tide changed — Chris Bell and Ajak said the defense’s energy picked up, Edwards pointed to the bench’s play, Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing said it was the Hoyas’ number of turnovers (nine in the first half, 15 in total) — but in any case, the Orange worked their way into a comfortable lead. 

Edwards hit a jumper to start the run before Torrence fed him a nice pass for a loud two-handed slam. Georgetown went cold, missing five straight shots and turning it over three times, and SU’s 12-0 run gave it the lead midway through the first half. Several Hoyas turnovers, including travels and passes thrown right to Syracuse, led to the Orange — one of the slower teams in the country, per KenPom — generating fast break buckets.  

“Turnovers kicked us in the butt,” Ewing said. “We went up 11 and started turning the ball over… So to me, that’s where we lost the game.” 

Jesse Edwards notched 20 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Hoyas. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

Boeheim turned to several unique lineup combinations, with Ajak on the wing and Hima inside after Edwards picked up his second foul midway through the first half. Ajak’s five points and five rebounds made his phone blow up postgame with celebratory calls. Torrence also provided a burst of energy off the bench, totaling 12 minutes and three assists. 

“They all came in and gave us great minutes,” Chris Bell said. “They helped us out a lot today.” 

Georgetown moved away from getting the ball inside, too, a bad recipe for a team shooting only 34% from three this season and one that ranks 315th nationally in 3-pointers per game (18.3). The Hoyas shot 6-of-25 from deep, only making 2-of-14 in the second half, a reflection of the zone and Edwards’ and Ajak’s strong interior defense. 

The strong defense extended to the perimeter, too. Edwards, who’s 17th nationally in block percentage per KenPom, emphatically blocked two corner 3s and five in total, as part of his 20-point, 11-rebound performance and the continuation of his dominant start to the season. His strides this season were plenty obvious to Ewing, one of the NBA’s top all-time centers. 

“He’s improved significantly,” Ewing said. “The things that he was doing remind me of myself back when I was young.”

With less than three minutes left in the first half, Mintz deflected a pass with his right hand and took it all the way down the court, finishing over Brandon Murray for the and-one. Mintz’s 10 assists and five steals were both personal bests, and his ability to easily get in the lane generated a number of high-percentage looks and fouls. 

“He made his presence known getting to the basket,” Boeheim said.  

Boeheim and Washington were formally inducted into the JMA Wireless Dome’s Ring of Honor at halftime. Washington, who electrified the Dome from 1983-86, passed away in April 2016 from brain cancer. He helped Syracuse become one of the Big East’s most prominent teams and produced countless memorable matchups against Georgetown, so it was only fitting that SU honored him and Boeheim in the annual nonconference battle versus the Hoyas. 

Syracuse played a tribute video to Boeheim, including words from all three SU assistant coaches and clips from his Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement speech in 2005 before a series of Washington highlights. Boeheim, his wife Juli, Athletic Director John Wildhack and several members of Washington’s family stood at midcourt and were handed Ring of Honor plaques. 

“Pearl’s the most exciting player we’ve ever had, and changed the program,” Boeheim said postgame. “I got the opportunity to coach him, and that was a great thrill for me.” 

The Orange maintained their lead for the entire second half, with the Hoyas trying to get back in it by pressing throughout. The closest they ever got, though, was seven with 5:16 left.

Two Benny Williams dunks — the first coming off a nice pass from Mintz that set up a one-handed jam, the second after Edwards secured an offensive rebound and hit a wide-open Williams for a two-handed one that put SU up 71-57 with three minutes left — all but secured a Syracuse win. Edwards’ posterization of Akok minutes later only added to it, as did Bell’s and-one layup on the next possession and the Orange ended the game on a 19-7 run. 

Whether or not this is the last Syracuse-Georgetown matchup for the foreseeable future remains unknown — Boeheim wouldn’t address it postgame — the Orange can add this game to the memorable list of wins over Georgetown. They now have their first three-game winning streak of the season and vanquished an old foe while celebrating two of the program’s most important names. 

They might not want to remember the first six minutes, but they’ll certainly want to remember the final 34. 

“We’re happy to get this win,” Boeheim said. “We just need wins — Georgetown still means something — but we need to get wins. We’re happy to get it.”

 

Published on December 10, 2022 at 3:15 pm

Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_