Without Jim Boeheim, No. 19 Syracuse loses to Georgetown 79-72
WASHINGTON (AP) — With coach Jim Boeheim beginning his nine-game NCAA suspension, No. 19 Syracuse lost its second consecutive game, beaten 79-72 by old rival Georgetown on Saturday, thanks in large part to senior center Bradley Hayes' career-high 21 points.
This was the first meeting between the schools since Syracuse left the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2012-13 season — and Boeheim was nowhere to be found, because of his suspension.
Michael Gbinije scored 23 points for Syracuse (6-2), which lost at home to Wisconsin on Wednesday and trailed by as many as 21 points against Georgetown (4-3).
On the Syracuse sideline, a white piece of tape ran down the back of a black folding chair, with the words "COACH" and "BOEHEIM" written in black ink. That seat remained empty throughout the game.
And instead of the Hall of Fame coach yelling at his players or pleading with officials, assistant Mike Hopkins was in charge of the Orange.
Isaac Copeland scored 14 points, and freshman Marcus Derrickson added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Georgetown. They Hoyas led 36-24 at halftime and stretched that to 40-24 on Derrickson's 3-pointer 2 1/2 minutes into the second half. Hayes capped an 11-2 run that made it 47-26 with a three-point play, successfully putting in a follow-up off an offensive rebound on his third try.
As the packed arena roared, Hayes flexed, earning a smile from teammate L.J. Peak and a chest bump from D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera. That was part of a personal seven-point run by Hayes, a 7-footer who never played extended minutes until this season.
Syracuse did not go quietly, though, and DaJuan Coleman's putback made it 66-58 with 4 1/2 minutes left. But Trevor Cooney missed a 3 on the Orange's next possession, and they couldn't trim the margin until Franklin Howard's layup with 32.4 seconds remaining made it 74-68.
The game was played two days after the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee upheld the suspension of Boeheim but decided he would begin serving it immediately — during non-conference action. A March ruling said the suspension should be served during ACC play.
The 71-year-old Boeheim will miss six non-conference games and only three ACC games, returning to coach the Orange against North Carolina on Jan. 9. He cannot be around his team during the suspension.
TIP-INS
Syracuse: Cooney was held to 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting. ... The Orange have lost five of their past seven games against Georgetown.
Georgetown: After starting 0-2 for the first time since 1998, the Hoyas have won four of their last five games, with the only loss to defending national champion Duke. ... In addition to renewing the rivalry with Syracuse, the Hoyas' loss to Maryland on Nov. 17 was those nearby schools' first regular-season meeting since 1993. ... Hayes scored 19 in a season-opening loss to Radford.
UP NEXT
Syracuse hosts Colgate on Tuesday.
Georgetown hosts Brown on Monday.
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