It didn’t take long for Syracuse to pull away from Eastern Washington in its season opener.

With the game tied at five, Elijah Hughes stood near the free-throw line. An offensive rebound gave the Orange another offensive opportunity. A quick behind-the-back dribble and step back jumper swished through the net as the crowd erupted, giving SU a two-point lead it would never relinquish.

The rest of the game was all Syracuse, which dominated Eastern Washington in all facets of the game in a 66-34 win Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome. For the 15th straight time, the No. 16 Orange won its season opener after forcing 19 turnovers and holding the Eagles to just 22 percent shooting.

Here are three takeaways from SU’s blowout win.

Full-court press shuts down EWU

Syracuse often deployed its full-court press throughout the first half, forcing Eastern Washington to beat the Orange with its passing. But again often, a double team would lead to an errant pass out of bounds or a steal in the opposite direction. One time, sophomore Oshae Brissett corralled the ball before slamming home a reverse dunk.

Down 24-10, Eastern Washington turned the ball over three straight times, unable to get past halfcourt on either occasion. Brissett found Bourama Sidibe for a dunk on one occasion and junior Tyus Battle made a pair of free throws on other.

When the Eagles crossed the midline, its offense was sparse. Few times did a pass to the baseline work, and EWU connected on just six 3’s. For nearly 10 minutes, the Eagles remained scoreless, while the Orange went on a 12-0 run to start the game.

At halftime, Eastern Washington had as many turnovers as it did points: 10. Brissett himself had 10 points. During that frame, the Eagles shot just 17.4 percent from the field and an abysmal 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.

The full-court press didn’t stop there. In the second half, Eastern Washington struggled even more. Syracuse scored 20 points within the first five minutes, with EWU committing six turnovers in that span.

Syracuse began to pull back its press midway through the second half. There was no need. The Orange were up by over 30.

The Oshae Show

In a game where offense lacked, Brissett was a bright spot for Syracuse, picking up right where he left off from last season.

Down one early, he drove to the hoop and slammed the ball down through contact for an and-1. By halftime, he was the lone player in double digits with 10 points, finishing with as many points as EWU had combined.

But he didn’t stop there. In the second half, after Buddy Boeheim’s corner 3 missed, Brissett corralled the offensive rebound and laid it off the glass. He slammed home an alley-oop and minutes later, stole the ball during a full-court press and dunked once again.

Brissett landed on the ground and stared down Eastern Washington’s Luka Vulikic who stood on the baseline with the ball.

Shortly after, with Syracuse’s lead firmly intact with 12 minutes left to play, Brissett walked toward the bench for an extended breather. The damage had been done.

Brissett checked back in after the under-eight timeout, finishing the game with 20 points, eight rebounds and three steals on 57 percent shooting from the field. He was the only player on both teams with double-digit points.

Jalen Carey’s debut

The long-awaited debut for Jalen Carey came with just over 10 minutes left to play in the first half. Syracuse top recruit had missed the team’s two scrimmages with a sprained ankle.

His first shot bounced off the rim, but minutes later, after an Eastern Washington missed 3, Carey got his opportunity. He corralled the rebound before turning his body and bursting through the EWU defense.

As he neared the basket, he rose up, finishing through contact and laying the ball off the backboard for his first points of college.

The rest of the game featured Carey’s versatile game. He was in the mix for multiple rebounds, helped out with the press and facilitated the offense.

There was some rust for Carey, who shot just 2-of-6 from the field and free-throw line. He turned the ball over a few times, too. But in his first game, the flashes of potential were there.

Carey finished the game with seven points, six rebounds and an assist in 18 minutes of action.

Published on November 6, 2018 at 9:13 pm

Contact Charlie: csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco