PHILADELPHIA — Michael Gbinije didn’t take long to prove his back was feeling just fine.

After missing the second half of Syracuse’s win over Louisiana Tech last Sunday due to tightness in that area, the junior spearheaded SU’s best offensive half of the season against No. 7 Villanova on Saturday, scoring or assisting on 19 of the Orange’s first 29 points.

But Gbinije lost his touch in the second half and by the time he regained it in overtime, he was on his way to fouling out and Syracuse (6-4) was on its way to an 82-77 loss to the Wildcats (11-0) at the Wells Fargo Center.

Now, Syracuse heads into a meeting with Colgate (3-8) on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome with a chance to rebound from the loss, and Gbinije, who said he’s feeling 100 percent, has his own chance to redeem his second-half struggles.

“I felt good attacking the basket early in the first half and just trying to be aggressive offensively and just rebound defensively,” said Gbinije, who tied Rakeem Christmas for the team-high with 18 points. “I’m definitely going to think of some plays that I know I could’ve made better decisions on.”

After rising up and snatching a defensive rebound, Gbinije drained a 3 from the right wing that added fuel to a 10-0 spurt that sprung the Orange ahead by 13. Playing the entire first half, Gbinije shot an economical 5-of-6 as the Orange connected on 63 percent of its attempts.

“He’s huge. We need him out there,” point guard Kaleb Joseph said.

But as SU’s offense regressed in the second half, Gbinije was at the front of the decline.

By the time he checked out of the game at the 13:52 mark, he had missed three shots inside the paint, turned the ball over once and committed his third and fourth fouls.

Upon re-entering with 7:54 left in the game and Syracuse’s lead having dwindled to 57-53, Gbinije lost another turnover and missed two shots. His only field goal of the half came on a goaltending call and he padded the Orange’s lead with a free throw for a 67-62 lead with 24 seconds left.

Then as the inbounder underneath Syracuse’s basket after a Villanova 3, he threw a pass to Christmas that the forward couldn’t handle near the sideline, and the Wildcats ended up knotting the score. The game then headed to overtime after Gbinije rushed down the floor and missed a desperation jumper.

Gbinije’s woes ended when he was whistled for his fifth foul with 29 seconds remaining in overtime, joining Christmas and forward Chris McCullough on the bench.

Even though the locker room after the game was a somber one, there was a sense of encouragement in how well SU played — with Gbinije as one of the main cogs for an offense that is gradually beginning to grow.

“He’s so versatile and he’s so important to this offense,” guard Trevor Cooney said, “because he is a guy who can shoot it, he can make plays off the bounce, he can be a big guy down low, he can rebound, and he can get out to shooters and everything.

“When he’s like that, we’re a way better team.”

Published on December 21, 2014 at 7:17 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb