Syracuse men’s basketball sails to 3-0 start with 80-50 win over Drexel
Donnie Freeman tallied 13 points against Drexel, as the Orange overcame subpar shooting by taking over in the second half for an 80-50 victory Saturday. Courtesy of Matthew Simmons | Drexel Athletics
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PHILADELPHIA — Adrian Autry needs his team to be prepared for March. It’s part of the reason why Syracuse scheduled games in Buffalo and Philadelphia this season — two NCAA Tournament First and Second Round locations.
Despite guard J.J. Starling missing his second-straight game with a hamstring injury, the Orange had no trouble holding their ground in the City of Brotherly Love. At Xfinity Mobile Arena, the home of the Philadelphia 76ers, Syracuse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) took down Drexel (1-3, 0-0 Colonial Athletic) 80-50 Saturday.
Wins over Binghamton and Delaware State to start the year set the stage at home for SU. Facing the Dragons in Philadelphia — Syracuse’s only road trip before its pivotal Las Vegas stretch — SU took care of business with a 25-point second-half advantage.
Kiyan Anthony got the scoring started for the Orange with a right-handed drive inside, but SU played down to Drexel’s level in the opening minutes. The Orange’s gaudy defense quickly turned sour, as the Dragons used their speed and strength to get to the hoop. Syracuse failed to get through high ball screens multiple times, and Drexel built a 12-8 lead.
Marginal contact fouls limited SU’s defensive physicality, as freshman enforcer Sadiq White fouled twice in five minutes before subbing out. The Orange climbed back and took the lead through back-to-back 3s from Tyler Betsey and Nate Kingz. But as Betsey maneuvered around the court on a defensive possession, he suffered a lower-body injury at the 9:32 mark.
The Cincinnati transfer exited to the tunnel, but returned to the Syracuse bench a few minutes later. He never returned to the game, though.
With Starling sidelined, Anthony increased his shot taking. He poured in a game-high 12 first-half points on 5-for-9 shooting. The freshman played sparingly in the second half, but finished with 18 points. Drexel stayed in the game with its 3-point shooting, which it entered Saturday at a 34% clip. The Dragons kept it close, but the Orange began to pull away with a five-point lead in the closing minutes of the half.
As point guard Naithan George got going, Syracuse padded its lead to a game-high 10. Drexel guard Eli Beard scored 24 points off the bench a few days ago against Colgate, and he tallied 13 against the Orange in a starting role. SU, however, pressed up on Beard and the Dragons to force multiple turnovers.
A lineup of Sadiq White and Akir Souare as the big men — mixed with Anthony, George and Kingz — smothered Beard and Shane Blakeney. The Dragons began the second half 1-for-11 from the field and scored just six points through the first 13 minutes.
The defensive dominance only continued on as the clock dwindled. The Orange didn’t allow a point from the 12:20 mark until 6:52 remained in the game.
It wasn’t nearly as pretty as Syracuse’s previous victories. The Orange shot 48% from the field and 33% from 3. But by allowing just 18 second half points to Drexel, a close game turned into a blowout as SU cruised to another 30-plus point win.
