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Jesse Edwards’ right hand was in Keith Higgins Jr.’s face as he faded away for a jumper. The contest led to a shot which clunked off the back rim, and a rebound that deflected right back to Edwards. The center took two dribbles to midcourt, turned around and handed the ball off to Joe Girard III.

As soon as Edwards had spun around and looked at his wide-open path to the basket, he extended that same right hand. Girard lobbed the ball up as soon as he saw it. Edwards jumped, corralled the ball and finished it with both hands for his third dunk of the game. When he landed in front of the backstop of the hoop, SU led by 21, the center had a game-high 18 points and his smile shined through his red mouth guard as he yelled toward the stands.

“I gave him one look, I saw him look at me, and then he threw it from halfcourt. … It’s just, you do it so many times, it’s second nature,” Edwards said postgame.

That sequence was one of a series of plays the center made in Syracuse’s season opener Monday against Lehigh. Edwards, expected to be one of Syracuse’s top offensive weapons this season, played close to a complete game in his return after suffering a season-ending wrist injury last February. Edwards finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, becoming an offensive focal point and drawing seven fouls. He was aided by Girard, who notched 19 points, making 4-of-6 3-pointers.

The two veterans helped Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) pick up a commanding 90-72 win over Lehigh (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League). The Orange used a 33-11 run in the first half to gain a comfortable lead, and plays like Edwards’ alley-oop helped maintain that in the second half. Guards Judah Mintz and Symir Torrence each added double-digit points, and after looking sloppy in two preseason exhibitions, Syracuse got off to a strong start to the regular season game.

“It’s early, there’s a long way to go. We got a lot of work ahead of us,” Boeheim said. “This was a much better overall outing than the first two exhibition games. So, try to build on this.”

The Orange’s exhibitions were full of stagnant offensive stretches and overall sloppiness. Syracuse trailed at halftime against Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and was outscored in the second half of its next game against Southern New Hampshire.

SU’s offense Monday avoided lengthy periods without baskets for the most part. The Orange shot 54.5% from the field, and made half of their threes. Girard hunted his shot on the wings and off the dribble, Mintz displayed a strong midrange game and Edwards was there inside when SU needed him.

The Orange used four 3s, along with 14 free throws, to enter halftime with an 18-point lead. Bell used a Mounir Hima screen as he ran to the top of the arc, and Girard found him for a wide-open 3 that made it 41-26. Minutes later, with time expiring, Girard kept it himself on the right wing for a contested 3 that nestled in.

The go-to weapon proved to be Edwards, though. SU used a heavy diet of post ups and pick-and-rolls to get Edwards the ball. Lehigh’s starting center, Dominic Parolin, stands at 6-foot-9, two inches shorter than Edwards, who used his height advantage several times to block and alter shots. It helped that Parolin recorded two fouls in the game’s first five minutes, and freshman backup Henri Adiassa had two in three minutes. Lehigh registered 10 first-half fouls, five of them drawn by Edwards.

Edwards had two dunks in the first half, one after Girard stepped through a double team and found Mintz, who passed inside to Edwards for the easy two-handed jam. The senior recorded 12 of Syracuse’s first 19 points.

“He did a phenomenal job,” Torrence said. “That’s what we expect out of Jesse every day.”

Lehigh kept things close for the first 11 minutes of the first half by finding open midrange jumpers. Parolin drew Edwards away from the basket for one, and Evan Taylor used his left hand to find enough space for others. Taylor, the Mountain Hawks leading scorer last year at 13 a game, finished with a game-high 20 points.

Syracuse still kept Lehigh well at bay for most of the night. Minutes into the second half, Chris Bell got his right hand on a bad pass, and drove toward the paint, adjusting in the air to finish with his left hand. The bucket, which put the Orange up 57-31 with 16:39 left, forced the Mountain Hawks to call their second timeout of the half.

On Lehigh’s first possession out of the timeout, only Edwards separated Taylor from two points. Taylor elevated with two hands, but Edwards’ right hand — again — made the play, slamming the attempt out of bounds.

“If I get one, two, three good plays in a row, I just get fired up,” Edwards said. “So that was just fun. A lot of fun.”

It was one of Edwards’ final highlights of the night. He checked out with just over seven minutes remaining, watching from the bench as Boeheim turned to newcomers Hima and Peter Carey at the center spot. How well those new pieces can mix with the likes of veterans Girard and Edwards this season remains to be determined. But for the first night at least, Syracuse could rely comfortably on its shooting guard and center — and the connection between the two.

“Joe and Jesse did what they have to do,” Boeheim said. “They have to be the two guys we depend on, and they were that tonight.”

Published on November 7, 2022 at 10:28 pm

Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_