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Syracuse’s three-game winning streak to open the season — one that featured two blowout wins, a torn meniscus and a positive COVID-19 case within the team — ended Tuesday night with a 79-69 loss to No. 21 Rutgers.

Defending a team with more size than any of its previous three opponents proved a daunting challenge for the Orange, as the Scarlet Knights consistently won battles in the paint and used Ron Harper Jr.’s 26 points to eventually overtake SU in the end.

Here are three takeaways from the Orange’s (3-1) loss:

Poor transition defense, rebounding

One of Syracuse’s main weaknesses against Rutgers, an obvious glare that shone through right away, stemmed from its inability to defend after turnovers and missed baskets. Rutgers out-rebounded Syracuse 42-26 and built its early lead behind 10 transition points.

After Joe Girard III’s 3-pointer clanked off the rim with 12:30 remaining in the opening half, Myles Johnson grabbed the rebound, and the Scarlet Knights raced up in transition. He found Harper Jr. on the left wing, in front of the Orange’s bench with no defender near him, and Harper Jr. sank the 3.

The Orange couldn’t get away with the little things — second-chance points, missed box-outs and rebounds that glanced off hands — as they did in their opening three games. With Bourama Sidibe still out with a torn meniscus, the lack of size in the paint is a problem SU will face throughout Atlantic Coast play until his return.

After a long transition pass, as the final minutes ticked down and Rutgers’ lead slowly grew again, Harper Jr. corralled the ball with only Marek Dolezaj to beat. He took two steps, finished his layup through Syracuse’s new center and drew the personal foul.

Griffin’s second half leads SU comeback

After scoring just five points in the first half, struggling on 1-for-7 shooting, Alan Griffin’s second half allowed Syracuse to claw back against Rutgers and, eventually, take the lead. He turned into the go-to scorer late in the game, along with Quincy Guerrier, a role Syracuse needs to fill after Elijah Hughes graduated.

Griffin’s outburst paired with Guerrier’s 18 points to lift SU when its guards struggled. Guerrier hit three 3-pointers, matching his total from all of last season.

Midway through the second half, Syracuse’s defense shut down a Rutgers lob attempt after a Kadary Richmond foul and Griffin grabbed the rebound, racing up the court and finishing the coast-to-coast layup. Possessions later, Griffin cut behind the Scarlet Knights’ defense and finished a pass from Richmond.

To finish his scoring run that tied the game for Syracuse and gave it a chance at its first lead, he took a pass from Girard, transitioned and sunk a 3-pointer. One game after opening 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, he once again led SU in points.

No backcourt scoring

When Girard stepped back and hit a 3-pointer right before the first half ended, cutting Syracuse’s deficit to four, it marked the first field goal made by Syracuse’s starting guards that half. Richmond’s one point — the front end of a one-and-one — came earlier in that final minute.

All of Syracuse’s scoring early on came courtesy of Dolezaj, who tallied the Orange’s first seven points by rebounding a missed 3 from Richmond and hitting a corner jumper off a pass from Girard up top. During that time, Griffin, who started 4-for-4 behind the arc days earlier against Rider, struggled and finished 1-for-7 in the opening half.

The scoring slump continued into the second half, as Girard finished with just one made shot and ceded most of the ball-handling duties to Richmond.

With 6:15 left in the opening frame, Rutgers double-teamed the Syracuse freshman and trapped him near half-court. But he threaded a pass through the defense to John Bol Ajak in the paint, who quickly hit a cutting Woody Newton for a dunk.

As of now, Buddy Boeheim is slated to be available for Syracuse’s game against Boston College on Saturday. But after Richmond’s gradual growth since slotting into the starting lineup, his role has a chance to increase — whether it eats into Buddy’s minutes or Girard’s — even after the Orange get all their guard depth back.

Published on December 8, 2020 at 11:53 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew