Edwards leads Syracuse to 83-64 win over Georgetown

What a way to conclude Hoya Hate Week.

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

It was another rollercoaster ride of a rivalry game between the Syracuse Orange (5-4, 1-0 ACC) and the Georgetown Hoyas (5-5) on Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome.

From tip-off, it was a back-and-forth affair for both programs. Less than two minutes in, the Hoyas got off to a strong 7-0 start due to sloppy play and poor defense by the Orange. At one point, Syracuse trailed 19-7 to Georgetown, leaving coach Boeheim to make some early substitutions and adjustments.

From there, the Orange were able to build some momentum. An alley-oop connection from Symir Torrence to Jesse Edwards cut the Hoyas’ lead by half, with the Orange finally getting going.

Although Jesse Edwards got his second personal foul with eight minutes left in the first half, Mournir Hima stepped up off the bench to give the Orange some much-need interior defense and rebounding support.

Despite shooting just 0/7 in the first half and settling for jumpers in the first few minutes, Syracuse did a great job of attacking the basket and forcing help off penetration, leading to some better spacing. This John Bol Ajak and-one led the Orange to reclaim the lead against the Hoyas.

From there, the Orange soared on a 15-4 run to its lead to 45-32 by halftime, with Syracuse forcing difficult shots across the board for Georgetown. Joe Girard and Judah Mintz combined for 21 points in the first half, each doing a great job and drawing attention and generating good looks for the Orange. Syracuse shot nearly 59% from the field, converting on 17 of the team’s first 29 field goal attempts.

At halftime, Syracuse University Athletics honored Coach Boeheim and former men’s basketball star Dwayne “Pearl” Washington with a tribute video and brief word from Boeheim. Both individuals put the Orange men’s basketball program on the map. Boeheim and Washington will now join notable Syracuse athletic legends Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, and Roy Simmons Jr.

Georgetown switched to a full-court press in the second half to make things interesting, but once the Orange got settled, Syracuse continued to be patient with the ball and take the right shots.

Jesse Edwards’ two-way presence proved to be the deciding factor in the Syracuse versus Georgetown contest. Defensively, Edwards was a force in Sunday’s game with hit shot-blocking and quick hands, forcing the Hoyas into difficult shots and multiple stretches without scoring a basket. And on offense, he was efficient from the field and crashed the glass on both ends of the court. The biggest surprise was Edwards’ decision-making to wait for the help to arrive before making the right pass.

Syracuse kept a double-digit lead for nearly 10 minutes in the second half, but the Hoyas weren’t going away with just five minutes remaining. Despite the comeback efforts by Georgetown, Syracuse’s late-game defensive pressure, some timely dunks from Benny Williams, and a handful of momentum-shifting plays ultimately powered the Orange to victoy.

Syracuse (6-4, 1-0 ACC) defeats Georgetown (5-6) 80-64 en route to the Orange’s third-straight victory after back-to-back victories against Notre Dame and Oakland. Edwards finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 blocks in a strong two-way performance, while Girard (12 points), Mintz (14 points), and Williams (13 points) led the way for Syracuse on the scoring front. For Georgetown, star guard Primo Spears led the way for the Hoyas with 22 points on 6/14 shooting. The Orange held the Hoyas to just 37% shooting from the field in a strong late-game surge by Syracuse.

Now that is a way to end Hoya Hate Week.