Tyus Battle read the passer’s eyes, jolted toward the top of the key, and deflected a St. Bonaventure pass. The Syracuse junior guard chased the ball and finished for a transition bucket to put SU up four points early on Saturday. It was just the start of the Orange’s defense-sparked transition game against the Bonnies.

“We were just getting out and running,” Battle said. “We either get to the foul line or get a bucket, so it made the game a lot easier.”

Battle finished with a career-high six steals, leading to a season-high 17 takeaways for Syracuse (9-4). The Orange finished with a season-high 17 transition points in their 81-47 win over St. Bonaventure. The defensive intensity allowed Syracuse to get easy buckets, limit the Bonnies’ shots and pull away early to a blowout victory.

“It was better,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said of his team’s transition game. “We need to run. We need to get up, if we can. Some teams we won’t be able to run on, but when you can get the opportunity, you’ve got to take it.”

Postgame, Battle mentioned that the Orange had been paying more attention to opponents’ scouting reports in the last few weeks. And SU recognized how the Bonnies had won in the Dome last year: attacking the middle of the Orange’s 2-3 zone. So from the outset, Battle and Frank Howard focused on limiting passes into the middle.

That’s how the junior secured a steal and breakaway bucket in the opening moments of the game. That’s how the SU defense limited St. Bonaventure’s leading scorer, Courtney Stockard, to two points. And that’s how the other Orange defenders could focus on taking away open shooters, creating all the transition success.

“We really took out all parts of their offense, and it fueled those transition buckets,” Syracuse forward Oshae Brissett said.

In addition, the Orange emphasized getting on the glass, Brissett said. Multiple times, he rose up to grab one-handed boards with his right hand. But the message from the coaching staff was about team rebounding, which showed with two defensive rebounds each for Battle and Elijah Hughes.

A week ago, Boeheim connected the lack of rebounds to his team’s inept transition offense. But Boeheim has frequently said he wants the Orange to run. Saturday, they did that, rarely standing pat after grabbing a defensive board. SU even ran the floor off made baskets, with Battle leading multiple half breaks after Dolezaj snatched the ball directly out of the net.

“The practices have been good, and I think it showed it today,” Boeheim said. “We just played at a better pace.”

The defensive intensity didn’t stop even with the Orange out to a big lead, which was already more than 20 at halftime. Howard grabbed a steal midway through the second half before leading a two-on-one with Battle, eventually dumping it off for a layup.

A few minutes later, Battle read the play and got his hand on another ball. He didn’t worry about grabbing it, though, because he saw Hughes leaking out down the right sideline. So the SU junior tapped it ahead to Hughes, who then showed off his vertical with a powerful right-handed throw-down.

“Those easy buckets help us get an easy lead, helps us calm down, play our game,” Brissett said. “And it lets guys have a lot more confidence in themselves once they see a couple layups go in, they get a nice feel for the game.”

The Orange got off to a 17-2 start on Saturday, fueled by six St. Bonaventure turnovers. The Bonnies never led because instead of only waking up in the second half, Syracuse and Battle brought it from the opening tip.

Brissett said afterwards that he realizes there are no easy games left as Atlantic Coast Conference play begins next week. The Orange lost four nonconference games, often failing to take advantage of their length and athleticism. But Saturday, Syracuse showed it has both of those traits, and it’ll need to rely on them going forward.

“Our defense over the last couple games has been good,” Battle said. “I think our scoring was the problem. But if we get out in transition and get easier buckets, it won’t be a problem.”

Published on December 29, 2018 at 5:53 pm

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3