NEW YORK — Scoop Jardine stood at midcourt waiting for his cousin. Feet planted with his hands on his hips, a smug grin stretched playfully across his face as the game headed to a media timeout with less than 15 minutes left.

All around him, the crowd at Madison Square Garden rose to its feet applauding the 27-point fortress of a lead built by the No. 2 team in the country. Dion Waiters jogged sheepishly toward Jardine, an atypical nonchalance for the typically exuberant sophomore shooting guard.

But when he finally reached Jardine, a smile appeared on Waiters’ face. His breathtaking spin move and layup was cause for celebration.

‘He’s always got a new celebration for me every time I do something, and the first person I look at on the bench is him,’ Waiters said. ‘He was waiting right there when they called a timeout. That’s priceless.’

Waiters was back to his old self Saturday with a 14-point outburst in Syracuse’s (23-1, 9-1 Big East) 95-70 blowout of St. John’s. He attacked the rim and rediscovered his shooting touch against the Red Storm (10-13, 4-7 Big East) to put together one of his most complete games of the season. A week’s worth of spending extra time in the gym paid dividends and helped him snap out a three-game skid in which he made 7-of-28 field goals.

After a quiet first half in which he scored only four points on two shot attempts, Waiters demonstrated his ability to take over the game offensively in the second. Beginning with his spinning layup at the 14:32 mark, Waiters hit four consecutive shots to score his final 10 points of the game.

‘I think in some of the games he’s had easier shots than tonight, he just hasn’t been making them,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘Over the course of the season, you’re going to have bad nights and you’re going to bounce back from it.’

Waiters bounced back with an impressive inside-out performance. He hit 5-of-9 shots on Saturday and was an efficient 2-of-5 from 3-point range.

He showed incredible quickness by planting his right foot in the ground on a fast break and spinning effortlessly past God’sgift Achiuwa for a right-handed layup. He showed his showtime ability by running ahead of the pack for a trademark tomahawk slam. He showed range by drilling a pair of 3s, one from the right wing and one from the top of the key, in a span of two minutes.

‘There were a couple times I had (the spin move) in the first half, and I just didn’t do it,’ Waiters said. ‘I told myself if I get a fast break or anything like that I’m going to hit him with it. I just tried and it worked.’

Syracuse assistant coach Gerry McNamara said when Waiters hits his jump shot it opens up lanes to drive to the basket. Defenders who are already wary of his driving ability must pick their poison if he’s on from the outside.

‘He was aggressive. He made his shots,’ McNamara said. ‘When he’s going downhill and attacking the basket, he’s difficult to defend.’

In addition to his 14 points, Waiters chipped in four rebounds and four assists. He didn’t register a single turnover, either.

As the St. John’s defense began collapsing on him late in the game, a product of his offensive proficiency to that point, Waiters found his teammates open for easy buckets.

He found Michael Carter-Williams on a fast break for an uncontested dunk. He faked a drive into the lane and threw a perfect pass to C.J. Fair in the right corner for his first 3-pointer since Nov. 29.

On a night where Jardine and Brandon Triche struggled and combined for just 11 points, Waiters stepped in to take control.

‘Dion’s an exciting player,’ Jardine said. ‘So when he makes exciting plays and I’m on the bench as a fan, I enjoy watching him.’

But as the final minutes melted off the clock, Waiters was the one on the bench as a fan. Standing up on the sideline, he swung a towel over his head and applauded one of SU’s most dominant performances of the season.

Arguably the best sixth-man in the country was back.

Said Waiters: ‘I felt great.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu 

Published on February 3, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13