SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard, almost fully recovered from a bout of COVID-19, each scored a season-high 23 points to lead Syracuse to an 83-57 rout of Miami on Tuesday night.
It was the Orange’s largest margin of victory in the series since an 81-52 home win on Dec. 12, 1993.
Boeheim and Girard combined for nine of the Orange’s 10 3-pointers and seven of their 19 assists. Boeheim had his fourth game this season with at least 20 points and Girard reached the mark for the third time. Quincy Guerrier added 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds for Syracuse (8-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), which avenged last season’s 69-65 overtime loss at Miami.
Orange coach Jim Boeheim said after the game that both of his starting guards had been hit with the novel coronavirus.
“We didn’t have Buddy for a bunch of games,” coach Boeheim said of his youngest son, who with Girard had struggled of late. “I think Buddy’s just starting to get his rhythm back a little bit from all the time out and having the COVID, the whole thing. I think he’s getting it back. Both Joe and Buddy were out with it. They were sick.
“Everybody knows this happens and knows that they were (out), but then they expect them to come back and play like nothing ever happened. It just doesn’t work that way. When Joe plays like that, we’re a different team.”
Girard said he still isn’t 100%.
“I was pretty sick, having asthma,” the sophomore point guard said. “The disease has made me really tired. Even now, there’s days when I’m waking up and getting out of bed and if I sit back down I feel like I could fall asleep every time. You lose your smell, you lose your taste. It was definitely a struggle.”
Isaiah Wong scored 16 points and Anthony Walker had 13 for Miami (6-7, 2-6). Senior Kameron McGusty, who did not play in a 78-72 win over then-No. 16 Louisville on Saturday because of a right hamstring injury, added nine points.
The Hurricanes shot just 22 of 56 (38%) overall that included 21 missed 3-pointers and 17 turnovers.
Boeheim scored 10 points as the Orange opened the second half on a 25-11 run for a 61-33 lead with 11 minutes remaining. Guerrier’s dunk made it 73-46 with seven minutes left.
___
For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Please read our comment policy before commenting.