LISTEN: @Cuse_MBB fell for the second straight time on day two of the Maul Invitational to No. 11 @ZagMBB 76-57. @Jackgordon10_ and @JoePuccio_ had the call from the Aloha State. pic.twitter.com/8mEsTXh59R
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) November 21, 2023
In game two of the Maui Invitational, Syracuse (3-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) suffered the same fate as round one with a 76-57 loss to No. 11 Gonzaga (3-1, 0-0 West Coast Conference).
The Orange have suffered back-to-back losses in Honolulu, but they were very different. In round one Syracuse lost to Tennessee (4-0, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) 73-56. SU was in the game the whole way leading most of the first half and within two possessions at the three-minute mark. But in the final minutes the Volunteers pulled away with a 12-0 run to end the contest.
The ’Cuse matchup against the ‘Zags on Tuesday had a contrasting narrative. The Bulldogs led for the entire game and constantly kept Syracuse at arm’s length despite a handful of Syracuse runs.
Gonzaga was able to keep SU at bay pretty much all afternoon mainly because of the Orange offense, or lack thereof. For the second straight game, Syracuse failed to reach even 60 points and today the numbers weren’t pretty.
SU was ice cold from beyond the arc, it shot 3 for 24. The 12.5 percent clip from deep was the worst of the campaign so far.
Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry talked about the offensive struggles after the game.
“We focused a ton on trying to get our defense together, so our offense is a little behind…they do have the chemistry and the confidence to figure it out…they don’t like losing and neither do I so we’ll figure it out.” Autry said.
Syracuse forward Chris Bell headlined the struggles with 35 minutes played and shot just 2-18 from the field and 1-10 from deep. Before Tuesday’s loss the sophomore was red hot with 16 points vs Tennessee and 25 against Colgate.
There was a bright spot on offense however, and it was Bell’s fellow sophomore Judah Mintz. The Maryland native tallied 22 points and excelled at slashing through the lane to get to the cup.
Mintz has 106 points through the first five games of the season. That mark is the second most through five games of an SU campaign since Carmelo Anthony totaled 125 to kickstart his career in orange.
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few knew that the backcourt of the ‘Cuse would be difficult to stop.
“Syracuse is hard to keep in front. We wanted to keep those guards in front. They are so good at sneaking by.” Few said.
Mintz continues to be a leader on offense, but SU lacks a strong second scoring option. Chris Bell and Guard JJ Starling have both shown flashes each averaging over a dozen points a game but have yet to consistently score night in and night out.
Entering the offseason, many believed former 5-star recruit Benny Williams would take a leap in his third year and potentially be the next man up. However, the IMG academy product was suspended the first three games and did not play Tuesday despite a strong showing in game one against Tennessee (8 points 2-2 3FG). Coach Autry declined to comment on the lack of playing time for Williams postgame.
Syracuse has one game left in the Maui Invitational against Chaminade (1-3, 0-0 Pacific West Conference) on Wednesday. Game time is set for 9:30 p.m. and WAER’s coverage begins at 9 p.m. with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.