Vermont Falls to Top-Seeded Syracuse in NCAA Men's Basketball Tourney

Vermont Falls to Top-Seeded Syracuse in NCAA Men's Basketball Tourney

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Courtesy Vermont Athletic Communications

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Wes Johnson scored a game-high 18 points to lead five players in double figures, as No. 1 seed Syracuse earned a 79-56 victory over the No. 16 seed Vermont men’s basketball team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night at the HSBC Arena. Senior Marqus Blakely (Metuchen, N.J.) paced the Cats in his final game in a Vermont uniform with 17 points, nine rebounds and four steals. UVM ends the season with an overall record of 25-10.

Syracuse (29-4) shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the second half and 54.5 percent for the game, as it advances to the second round where the Orange will meet eighth-seeded Gonzaga on Sunday. The Orange led by as many as 27 in the game and limited the Cats to shoot only 34.8 percent on the night.

“I want to congratulate Syracuse. I thought they played great,” said Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan. “You know, I thought if we could have made shots, we could have stayed in the game and made it a little more interesting. We did not shoot the ball well against a great team like that.”

“I'm proud of our guys. They hung in there. We had some open looks and couldn't do it. They made their shots and they played a great game. I wish them the best of luck and hope they make it back to the Final Four.”

Syracuse took a 37-25 lead into halftime after leading by as many as 25 in the frame. Senior Maurice Joseph (Montreal, Quebec) opened the contest with a three to give UVM the early advantage, but the Orange answered with the next 11 straight. After Joseph’s three, the Cats missed their next 10 shots and opened the game 3-for-20 from the floor. Syracuse used a 20-2 run to take its biggest lead of the half at 35-10 with 6:39 remaining.

Vermont wouldn’t go away, as it used a 15-2 run to end the half. After starting off cold from the floor, Blakely heated up and scored nine of the 15, which included three dunks. The Cats hit seven of their last 14 shots in the frame.

Syracuse started the second half by hitting its first five attempts, including all four three-pointers it took to push its lead to 51-32 just 3:40 in. Blakely made a lay-up and junior Joey Accaoui (Lincoln, R.I.) hit a floater in the lane to cut the Orange lead to 58-44 with 7:53 left in the game, but that would be as close as Vermont would get. Syracuse responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Brandon Triche and Johnson to start a 12-3 run to make it 70-47.

Scoop Jardine added 14 points off the bench, while Rick Jackson (12), Andy Rautins (11) and Triche (10) also recorded double figures for the Orange. Syracuse made 10 three-pointers on the night and out-rebounded the smaller Catamounts 40-29.

After starting the game missing his first five shots, Blakely finished the game by making his last seven and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Junior Evan Fjeld (Durham, N.C.) was the only other Catamount to reach double figures, as he added 13 points and nine rebounds. Senior Nick Vier (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) added eight points and a game-high six assists.

“Well, I mean, I wish, I wish every teammate the best and hopefully they can get back here,” added Blakely. “My freshman year we missed it by one. I just hope they don't have to experience that and they'll be able to get back here soon enough.”