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Syracuse bounces back; takes down Georgia Tech 80-63

Guard Joe Girard III (Orange) at the top of the key against a Georgia Tech defender. The guard shot over 52% for the contest, and played all 40 minutes.
@Cuse_MBB on Twitter
Guard Joe Girard III (Orange) at the top of the key against a Georgia Tech defender. The guard shot over 52% for the contest, and played all 40 minutes.

After a slow start for Syracuse, SU defeated Georgia Tech 80-63 on Saturday afternoon. The Orange were led by senior guard Joe Girard III with 28 points and a season high six three pointers.

“Coach [Boeheim] did a good job of putting on the press. That helped us a lot, and got our energy going,” Girard said. “A lot of it goes to the coach's credit because of the way he puts me in position to make plays.”

Girard III came into the contest having only made just two triples over his last two outings. But, against the Yellow Jackets, the guard got it going right from tip-off. The senior led all scorers with 18 points on seven-of-11 shooting after 20 minutes. On top of that, Joe moved into the top-20 all time in ACC three-point field goals (269).

Georgia Tech led by as much as eleven in the opening half, but Syracuse used a 17-0 run spanning nearly five minutes to surge in front. From the 9:02 mark of the first half, the Orange never trailed the Yellow Jackets.

Senior Girard III (Orange) driving for a lay-up. The guard made eleven field goals in the game.
@Cuse_MBB on Twitter
Senior Girard III (Orange) driving for a lay-up. The guard made eleven field goals in the game.

Senior Girard III (Orange) driving for a lay-up. The guard made eleven field goals for the game. CREDIT Cuse.com

Girard’s sidekick for this matchup was freshman forward Maliq Brown. Brown scored a career high 18 points, a nice rebound after chipping in just two points against Number 17 Miami.

The freshman looked confident all afternoon long, shooting eight-of-nine from the field, and scoring a team high 12 points in the second-half to thwart any chance of a Georgia Tech comeback.

“Maliq [Brown] was really good offensively. He didn’t do the usual rebound job he does,” Coach Boeheim said. “But, he had a really good offensive game. I thought Joe and Judah really looked for him, and he finished around the basket.”

SU had a lead on Tuesday against Miami, but failed to close down the stretch. This time out, Syracuse finished the job - on the road - and secured their sixth win in conference play this season. The Orange move to 13-7 (6-3 in ACC play) this season, while Georgia Tech falls to 8-11 (1-8).

Syracuse returns home Tuesday at 9:00 against 2022 NCAA Tournament Finalist North Carolina. SU lost to UNC in overtime last season. McClurg Team Countdown to Tipoff begins our coverage at 8:30.