SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Earlier this season, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said that Tyus Battle has made as many clutch shots as any player in SU history. So on Saturday, as the Orange led by seven points with 2:25 left against a persistent Notre Dame team, Battle stepped back on the right wing to try and do it again.

Boeheim then watched the junior’s shot swish, which was followed by Battle slapping his chest twice with his right hand. The Orange had needed their big scorers to step up in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener, and Battle’s late bucket put the exclamation point on the necessary performance.

“To get an away win in ACC starting off,” Battle said, “it’s good momentum for us.”

Syracuse (10-4, 1-0 ACC) separated itself late to beat Notre Dame (10-5, 0-2), 72-62, in Purcell Pavilion on Saturday. The Orange were spurred by a combined 58 points from their three leading scorers: Elijah Hughes, Oshae Brissett and Battle. They combined for 10 3s in a game that Syracuse knocked down a season-high 12. SU’s offense, which was supposed to be better this season and hadn’t yet shown it much, delivered to win its ACC opener.

“They have to show up,” Boeheim said of the trio. “If they don’t, we’re not gonna win. We depend on those guys.”

For better or worse, Syracuse relied on a three-headed scoring attack last season: Battle, Brissett and Frank Howard. In games when those players were taken out of the equation, the Orange struggled to put the ball in the hoop. But in contests where those three got going, Syracuse was tough to beat.

This season, Howard hasn’t been the same player as last while he still battles a return from a preseason injury. But the Orange added Hughes after he sat out last season as a transfer from East Carolina. Brissett returned with a fine-tuned 3-point shot, and Battle reworked his shot as well. With limited production from SU’s bigs — and until Howard is back to himself again — the Orange is in a familiar spot with their reliance on a three-pronged attack.

“Any day, one of us can have big nights,” Battle said.

Those three scorers face a big burden in the ACC while overcoming four nonconference losses, a total that Syracuse has never made the NCAA Tournament with. And at least Saturday, they delivered right from tip-off.

On SU’s first possession against Notre Dame, Hughes pump faked and dribbled once before nailing a 3 from the top of the key. Brissett drained one from the left wing a few minutes later. Battle pulled up and swished from the left elbow.

Later in the first half, Hughes faded away for 3, then Battle stepped back for 2 from the right elbow, and finally, Battle led a one-man fastbreak before finishing off the glass. All three had scored at least eight points by halftime. After early-season questions surrounded both Battle and Brissett’s shooting, the results have been much improved.

“We are shooting it better,” Boeheim said. “… I think we can shoot it well. I don’t think that’s something that’s not possible.”

Before Saturday, even though the Orange knew which three guys would win or lose them games, SU hadn’t been able to count on them to consistently make 3s. Hughes had been the best of the bunch, and he showed that Saturday with a career-high six makes from deep.

But Brissett stepped up as well Saturday, with three first-half deep balls, and Battle swished a top-of-the-key 3 midway through the second half. That Battle swish, one week after he didn’t attempt a 3 on a perfect shooting night, put Syracuse back up five and silenced Notre Dame.

“We don’t worry about whatever statistics say,” Battle said. “We know we can shoot the ball. We were getting good looks, and they were going in.”

Battle has spoken about the potential ACC play provides for resume-boosting wins. So a loss Saturday wouldn’t have crippled Syracuse’s season. But all three of SU’s leading scorers took charge, combining for 26 of SU’s 46 rebounds — 11 for Brissett, 10 for Hughes, five for Battle. 

“Coach has been on us, especially me and Elijah about it,” Battle said with a grin about rebounds. “… And it was good for us, I think, that’s what we need to do to win games going forward.”

This is just the start for Syracuse. The Orange host two ACC foes next week before traveling to play No. 1 Duke. In its ACC opener, SU proved it had a method to winning in one of the country’s top conferences. Even if it’s not all that different from last year’s go-to attack, which carried the Orange into the Sweet 16.

By the end of Saturday’s game, Syracuse’s top three had done enough and no longer worried about another Notre Dame comeback bid. Hughes dribbled behind his back as the buzzer sounded, and Brissett gave him a high-five. They, along with Battle, had done what they were supposed to.

“Every night, you want to show up,” Brissett said. “Coach puts a lot of confidence and a lot of trust in us to make plays, so he calls our numbers, and we’ve just got to go out there and execute.”

Published on January 5, 2019 at 2:02 pm

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3