Syracuse's vaunted 2-3 zone defense forced high-scoring Virginia Tech into its worst offensive performance of the season Sunday night as the Orange thumped the Hokies 68-56 in the teams' Atlantic Coast Conference opener before 20,688 fans at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

Virginia Tech entered the game ranked first in the nation in field-goal percentage (.545), fourth in 3-point percentage (.437), and ninth in points per game (91.3). In addition to scoring a season-low 56 points, the Hokies (11-3) shot just 34.6 percent from the floor (18-for-52) and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc (10-for-30) in falling to 0-6 at the Carrier Dome.

The Orange (12-2) entered the game ranked 22nd in the country in scoring defense (62.6 points per game) and 22nd in field-goal percentage defense (.384).

Syracuse's big three of Oshae Brissett (game-high 19 points), Tyus Battle (17) and Frank Howard (17) combined for 53 of the Orange's points. Matthew Moyer grabbed 13 rebounds and scored 11 points, and Brissett added nine rebounds.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Hokies with 19 points, while Justin Bibbs and Justin Robinson each scored 10 points and Chris Clarke grabbed 10 rebounds.

With Syracuse leading 34-19 early in the second half, the Hokies connected on four 3-pointers, including two by Bibbs, in a 12-0 spurt that narrowed the Orange's lead to 34-31. However, Brissett's acrobatic drive for a layup and two free throws sparked an 11-0 Syracuse run that ended with Moyer's dunk and Battle's 3-pointer, boosting the Orange's advantage to 45-31.

Howard (eight points) and Battle (seven) combined for all of Syracuse's points as the Orange ended the first half on a 15-3 run to take a 32-19 lead at the break. Howard sank two 3-pointers during that spurt, while Battle hit a trey after teammate Marek Dolezaj fought for a loose ball and fed the ball to Howard, who found a wide-open Battle.

The Orange limited the Hokies to 26.1 percent shooting before the break (6-for-23 overall and 3-for-13 from beyond the arc) as Virginia Tech had its lowest-scoring first half of the season. Syracuse also forced nine first-half turnovers, leading to an 11-2 Orange edge in points off turnovers.