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Tyler Ennis, C.J. Fair help No. 2 Syracuse survive an upset bid from St. John’s

Tyler Ennis

St. John’s trailed by a dozen at halftime to No. 2 Syracuse. But in the second half, the Red Storm were able to attack the Orange defense, while containing freshman point guard Tyler Ennis (21 points) on the other end.

The Red Storm played a spirited second half, erasing a what was a 13-point deficit to take the lead on several occasions. However, the undefeated Orange took the Johnnies best shot and countered with some late-game play-making by Ennis and clutch shot-making from senior forward C.J. Fair (21 points) to hold on and avoid the upset, leaving Madison Square Garden with a 68-63 win.

St. John’s took a 60-58 lead with under six to play, but Ennis proved that he is a point guard beyond his years in the final five minutes.

The Cuse point guard had 13 points in the first, which helped the Orange take a double-digit lead. The majority of the second half was a different story. The freshmen was held in check, along with back court mate Trevor Cooney (0 points, 0-for-3 from three). The St. John’s defense clawed back into the game by limiting Ennis’ production on offense by keeping him out of the lane.

If you watched Ennis this season, you can tell, he as poised a point guard as they come, and despite struggling for much of the second half he was able to regroup and make the plays to keep his team unbeaten.

He tie the score with a pair of free throws, and after being kept of the lane, Ennis found himself in the paint once again, this time for the scoop and the 62-60 lead. And if it wasn’t Ennis making the plays, it was Fair coming up with the big shots. After Fair hit a turnaround jumper to make it a two-possession game, Fair popped out towards the baseline and received a perfectly-placed pass from Ennis for the shot and the 66-61 lead. Ennis added two more free throws with under a minute to play.

While Ennis and Fair executed down the stretch for Cuse, St. John’s came away empty-handed more times than not. The Red Storm went 0-for-5 from the field, and missed three free throws, while Cuse took a seven-point edge.

It wasn’t his best game, and he certainly looked like a freshman at points during the second half. But Ennis shook off the second half struggles and bounced back. Coupled with the leadership and experience of Fair and the duo made big plays, in big moments to improve to 10-0.

Ennis may not have the pro potential as other highly-touted freshmen, but his impact rivals any first-year player’s this season.

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