It looked like Eric Devendorf was the only player in the locker room. Eleven microphones pointed his direction. There were other players available. Kris Joseph sat all alone at his corner locker. Kristof Ongenaet had already dealt with the barrage of reporters when Devendorf wasn't immediately available.
But Devendorf was who everyone wanted to talk to after the Orange's 76-71 win over Richmond at the Carrier Dome Tuesday night. Mostly because of a two-minute stretch in the second half when Devendorf produced an 11-0 run by himself - a pivotal stretch in a narrow win for Syracuse (2-0).
"Yeah, I just felt I had to ignite a spark," Devendorf said. "For myself and my team. And you know obviously it worked. I don't know how many points it was, but it got us going. And then on we took care of our business."
That flurry sparked Devendorf and two of his teammates, Jonny Flynn and Arinze Onuaku. The trio combined to score 44 of the Orange's 45 points in the second half, and 66 of the team's 76 points on the night. Flynn led the group with 27 points, five assists and five steals. Devendorf shot 4-of-6 from 3-point land and finished with 22. His roommate, Onuaku, chipped in 17 points and six rebounds.
"We were a little bit more patient," Boeheim said. "We spread them out, and Jonny and Eric were able to get to the basket and make some plays."
Devendorf was a key component in the Orange's lineup, despite the fact he is currently being investigated on harassment charges, stemming from a Nov. 1 incident in which he allegedly punched a woman. The Onondaga District Attorney has deferred the investigation to judicial affairs.
The Orange trailed going into the half, 38-31, due in large part to a barrage of 3-point baskets. Richmond guards David Gonzalvez, Kevin Anderson and forward Conor Smith converted on 7-of-8 attempts beyond the arc. Syracuse struggled from long distance in the first half, shooting 25 percent (3-of-12).
The second half was a much different story, thanks to Devendorf. Down 40-33 early in the half, the 6-foot-4 junior guard from Bay City, Mich., took over. He hit three-straight 3-pointers during a two-minute span in which he personally outscored the Spiders, 11-0. His second 3 gave the Orange a 42-40 lead. He pumped his arms to the delight of the Carrier Dome crowd of 16,260 and barked at Gonzalvez - then added a layup to end the run.
After the game, Devendorf said he was about 90 percent back from the torn ACL that cost him most of last season.
"Even after he hit a couple of those shots, you see him jawing off at the mouth," Flynn said. "I like to see that 'E' back. That's the 'E' that's going to give us 20 a night. That's the 'E' that can carry us the way he did in this game."
Devendorf's spurt wasn't quite enough to finish off the Spiders. The offense began to sputter, not making a field goal for more than five minutes. With 10:26 remaining in the game, three-straight Spider layups cut SU's lead to one. But the Orange bounced back.
Devendorf ended the drought as he drove baseline and met defender Josh Duinker chest-to-chest. But Devendorf hung in the air long enough to convert the layup.
Flynn ended the game strong for the Orange. He followed up the Devendorf bucket with seven-straight points, to extend the SU lead to seven. Onuaku then chipped in with back-to-back dunks as the cushion ballooned.
"It felt good, I think I'm making strides in becoming a leader on this team," Flynn said. "Even coming down the clutch it meant a lot to me when Eric said we want the ball in your hands."
Led by its scoring trio, the Orange responded to its first test of the season. In the process, it showed maturity Flynn said last year's team might not have had.
"Honestly I don't think so," Flynn said when asked if last year's Syracuse team would have won. "We were a young team, especially this early in the year we wouldn't have even had a chance with a team like Richmond and how good they are … that just speaks wonders on our team, how much we grew from last year to this year."
mibonner@syr.edu
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