National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Syracuse 53, Michigan 50
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, November 26, 2010
Where: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Officials: # Mike Eades, # Bernard Clinton, # Earl Robinson
Attendance: 6273

Kris Joseph scored 22 points and No. 10 Syracuse held off Michigan 53-50 in the semifinals of the Legends Classic in Atlantic City on Friday.

Joseph, who entered shooting 31.4 percent, hit 8-of-14 shots and added five rebounds to help the offensively-challenged Orange (5-0) stay unbeaten.

Syracuse advances to play Georgia Tech in the finals in Saturday night.

It wasn’t easy getting there, however. Michigan held a 31-29 lead at the half and took a one-point lead on a 3-pointer from Stu Douglass with 5:53 left.

But Scoop Jardine answered with a 3-pointer and Joseph added a jumper to stretch the Syracuse advantage to four with 3:58 remaining. The Orange, who were in the bonus with seven minutes left, were able to hang on from there.

Despite the win, Syracuse still is struggling to find its rhythm offensively. The Orange shot just 42 percent, which amazingly is their best shooting performance in the last three games.

The Orange looked unimpressive in their previous two wins over Detroit and William & Mary, causing coach Jim Boeheim to say this is the most overrated team he’s had in 35 years of coaching. Syracuse shot just 36.4 percent and 36.7 percent in those two victories.

And they didn’t fare much better against the young Wolverines (3-1), who have zero seniors and just two juniors.

Douglass and Jordan Morgan each had 11 points for Michigan, which shot just 33 percent – including 26 percent from 3-point range (8-of-31).


Top Game Performances
 
Michigan   Syracuse
Stu Douglass 11 Scoring Kris Joseph 22
Darius Morris 6 Assists Scoop Jardine 5
Jordan Morgan 8 Rebounds Rick Jackson 12
Tim Hardaway, Jr. 1 Free Throws Made Scoop Jardine 5
Tim Hardaway, Jr. 2 Steals Kris Joseph 2
Evan Smotrycz 1 Blocks Rick Jackson 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Michigan 50 32.3 8-32 2-4 11 34 1 6
Syracuse 53 41.7 5-14 8-15 11 34 5 5