WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Syracuse (12-7, 2-4 Atlantic Coast) blew out Wake Forest (10-7, 1-4) to win its second straight conference game. Here are three quick observations from the 83-55 victory at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Heat check

Trevor Cooney, who scored just five points against Boston College on Wednesday, had topped that total after only two offensive possessions on Saturday afternoon. The senior scored the team’s first 11 points, 19 in the first 10 minutes, and was the catalyst as Syracuse jumped out to a 47-27 halftime lead.

Both of his first two long-range shots came from the exact same spot on the right wing with a hand in his face. He hit another 3 off an offensive rebound and then a contested floater. Not even four minutes had passed when Cooney had 11 points and Wake Forest had just four.

He cooled off at the end of the first half and was a non-factor after the break, finishing with 25 points, but his early performance pushed SU ahead for good.

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Playing hard

For the second straight game, SU forward Tyler Roberson struggled to contain his aggressiveness and limit his fouls. His second foul came on an over-the-back call while attempting an offensive rebound with more than 14 minutes in the first half. He picked up his third foul on the defensive end before the half was over.

As a team, Syracuse’s big men spent much of the afternoon in foul trouble. Just minutes into the second half, center Dajuan Coleman had four fouls, while forwards Roberson and Tyler Lydon had three a piece. As a result, center Chinonso Obokoh played 13 minutes.

The Orange was called for 27 fouls while it drew just 19. The Demon Deacons finished the game shooting 25-of-42 from the line. Roberson’s mistakes were far from costly in the second half, as he picked up the slack to finish with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

 

 

Search Party

Lydon hadn’t taken more than six shots in a game since Dec. 27. On Saturday, he had taken more than six in the first half alone.

The stretch-the-floor forward lived up to his billing. He hit a wide-open 3-pointer with 14:12 in the first half to start his scoring. He nearly passed up his second 3-pointer, pump-faking with an open look. It’s second-guessing like that that’s prevented him from being a better scorer.

Published on January 16, 2016 at 2:13 pm