Orangemen beat Amazing Highflyers 102-84(OT)
The final score does not indicate the excitement this game provided. In their first ever game, the Orangemen pulled out to an early lead, holding an 11 point lead at the half. The Amazing Highflyers, however, would chip away at that lead all through the second half, finally tying the game with under a minute to go to force an extra period. Led by Ross O'Rourke, the Orange would score first in the OT period and never look back, outscoring their opponent 20-2 and sealing up Boeheim's first career Buzzerbeater win. When asked where this victory stood up against his over 800 college wins, Boeheim responded,
"It's up there without a doubt. To come in and open up our franchise with a win like that was awesome. We wanted to set the tone tonight. We wanted to show everybody that this team was not to be overlooked, and I think they did exactly that.
Future star Jeffrey Rivas' debut left something to be desired, scoring 15 pts on 25 shots. He did show flashes of the versatility that scouts love about him, dishing 9 assists and grabbing 14 rebs. Boeheim commented afterwards,
"You guys act dissapointed in him. The kid almost posted a triple-double in his very first game. The shot will come. Im extremely impressed with his performance."
The team also found a floor general in PG Jorge Landry. The veteran had a brilliant game, posting 37 points and 11 helpers. His leadership showed throughout the game, barking orders on defense throughout the game, and rallying his teammates before the OT period. Rivas commented on his leadership in the post game press conference:
"Landry was great. Some of us were definitely rattled when they came back and Landry just reminded us that we had been outplaying this team all night. He definitely deserves a lot of the credit for the way we played tonight.
Other bright spots included Albert Marshall scoring an efficient 17 points. O'Rourke added 15, 10 of which came in the OT period. The Orangemen finish up this two game road trip Saturday against Tha Pride, in a nationally televised game. Until then, this is Hakim Warrick reporting for the Orange News.