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.”