Syracuse men’s and women’s basketball hosts Orange Tip Off at JMA Wireless Dome
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In Syracuse men’s basketball’s Orange vs. Blue scrimmage, the last three possessions for the Blue team all started with Judah Mintz. First, Mintz streaked down the sideline with Chris Bunch by his side after a loose ball turnover. With just one defender in the way, Mintz lobbed the ball up, jumping in the process. Bunch caught it with two hands and completed the dunk.
The next time down, the Blue team faced a zone defense with Symir Torrence and Quadir Copeland positioned at the top. After a few passes around the perimeter, Mintz found Bunch standing a couple feet behind the three-point line. Bunch caught the ball and fired from deep without hesitation, nailing the jumper.
The final score of the game came from yet another Mintz assist. Similar to the last possession, the Blue team came down the floor, setting up an offense to combat the zone. This time, instead of swinging the ball to Bunch, Mintz passed to Joe Girard on the opposite wing. Girard, having already made a couple shots in the scrimmage, hit another one.
With both season openers for the men’s and women’s basketball program starting within a month, the two teams participated in the annual Orange Tip-Off game on Friday night. Hosted at the JMA Wireless Dome, the event allowed fans the opportunity to catch a glimpse of both teams.
To begin the night, the women’s team selected six players to compete in a shooting challenge. Olivia Owens, Kennedi Perkins and Dyaisha Fair were the first trio to make a layup, a free throw, a three-pointer, and a half-court shot. Owens and Fair hit the free throw and three-pointer, while the freshman, Perkins, hit both the layup and the half-court shot.
Next, the combined men’s and women’s three-point shootout took place. On one end of the floor, freshmen Justin Taylor and Bunch teamed up with redshirt junior Teisha Hyman and Wichita State transfer, Asia Strong. On the other end, Torrence and Girard were paired with Buffalo transfer Georgia Woolley and Alabama A&M transfer, Dariauna Lewis.
Taylor got off to a hot start, sinking 11-of-15. Bunch followed up by going 12-for-15, including a perfect second rack at the top of the key. Torrence made only three from behind the perimeter, while Girard totaled 10-for-15.
Both Woolley and Lewis finished 6-for-15, helping their team to a total of 25 made shots. Hyman finished with five, meaning her, Bunch, and Taylor combined for 28. Three more than the opposing side, Strong’s contribution wasn’t even needed.
The ensuing dunk contest featured freshmen Mintz, Copeland, and Peter Carey, as well as sophomore returner Benny Williams. Five women’s players served as the judges. After the first round, both Carey and Mintz were eliminated. Williams’ impressive double-clutch reverse punch earned him a showdown with Copeland in the final. Allowed two dunks apiece, the two went head-to-head with the former five-star Williams winning — his second consecutive victory in the competition
Felisha Legette-Jack’s squad were the first to scrimmage with players interchanging on both the Orange and Blue teams. From the jump, Lewis hit two three-pointers on successive possessions to put her team up 12-6, early in the first half. Strong was also a standout player, pushing and stretching the floor throughout the game, sinking a couple of threes herself. Hyman, now in her third year with SU, looked comfortable in transition, setting up her bigs for easy points around the basket.
A thorn for the opposing side all contest long, Fair was quick to set up the offense and pushed the tempo of the game all night long. From hesitation crossovers to acrobatic layups, Fair was able to get her teammates involved and showcased her talent from range as well. Despite a second-half comeback from the Blue team, the Orange team won, 45-37.
Torrence, Williams, and Jesse Edwards headlined the Orange team for the men’s scrimmage, matching up against the Blue team featuring Mintz, Girard, and Bunch. From start to finish, Mintz looked comfortable with the ball in his hands at the point despite Torrence’s pestering full-court defense.
Early on, Edwards demanded the ball in the post over numerous possessions, hoping to make quick work of Carey down low, but Carey held his ground with neither big man able to get the edge over one another.
For the majority of the first half, head coach Jim Boeheim allowed both sides to play man-to-man defense. The second half brought forth his patented zone.
The freshman constantly came of off ball-screens, attacking the bigs relentlessly. And when the offense couldn’t penetrate the zone, Mintz knocked down a couple of timely long-range shots.
Girard, now moved to the two-guard, seemed to gel well with Mintz, happy with his pivot in becoming primarily a scorer. Most notably, toward the end of the second half, Girard curled off of a pin-down screen, open on the left wing and knocked down an open three.
Bunch’s length and athleticism was on full display all while he continued his excellent shooting efficiency from the prior three-point contest. His breakaway dunk for the Blue team toward the end of the first half was just one of many highlights as it cruised to a 32-16 win over the Orange team.
The opening game for the Syracuse men’s basketball’s 2021-22 season will be on Oct. 25 as it’ll play Indiana (PA) in an exhibition at home. For the women, the opener will be at the Dome on Nov. 7 against Stony Brook.