Observations from SU’s loss vs. Hofstra: Starling’s strong start, PG problems
Nate Kingz struggled to stop Hofstra leading scorer Cruz Davis, who finished with a game-high 22 points in the Pride's win over Syracuse. Christian Calabrese | Staff Photographer
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Following a nine-day break, Syracuse returned to action late Thursday night with a 71-63 win over Saint Joseph’s. The Orange broke through in the closing minutes to pull away.
Forty-one hours after the final buzzer against the Hawks, SU took the court again — this time against Hofstra — looking for its third straight win and second in three days.
The Orange led by one at halftime but fell behind by eight midway through the second half as Hofstra took control. SU reclaimed the lead with under a minute to play but couldn’t finish the game as the Pride hit a right-corner 3 and secured the victory in the final minute.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (6-5, Atlantic Coast) 70-69 loss to Hofstra (8-4, Coastal Athletic):
Slowing Davis
Syracuse has played a few top guards already this season. Monmouth guard Justin Ray dropped 25 on Nov. 18. In Las Vegas, the Orange faced Kingston Fleming and Emanuel Sharp. SU slowed down Ja’Kobi Gillespie as it triumphed over then-No.13 Tennessee. Facing Hofstra presented one of its toughest tests yet.
The Pride are led by Cruz Davis, who entered averaging over 20 points and recently dropped 36 against Pitt. Davis finished with a game-high 22 points versus the Orange.
Nate Kingz was the primary defender on Davis, and held him down momentarily before he broke out for a fadeaway floater and a quick dish to Victory Onueto for a two-handed slam. Meanwhile, fellow guard Preston Edmead lit it up early with two 3s. Davis still got his.
The point guard used a crafty pass fake to create space and then finish off the glass past the outstretched arms of William Kyle III. With Kingz on the bench, Bryce Zephir attempted to slow Davis but rarely could. Wherever Hofstra found its scoring, Davis was involved. At the half, he had 10 points with five assists.
Davis stalled SU’s 6-0 run to start the second half with a running left-handed floater. After going 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, he then converted a triple to grow his tally to 17. Davis and the Pride built a strong advantage in the second half as he continued to pour it on from all three levels.
Shooting woes remain
As SU has built its identity on defense, its shooting has proven to be a clear weakness. That ranges from the charity stripe to beyond the arc. The Orange entered the game as the worst free-throw shooting team in the country, shooting 56.8%. From 3, Syracuse ranked 291st with a 30% clip. J.J. Starling’s hot start mitigated the poor shooting, but in the end, it all evened out.
The Orange rarely reached the free-throw line through the first half but earned more opportunities in the final minutes of the opening period. Still, SU went 4-for-9 as Sadiq White Jr. went 3-for-6. Starling knocked down 2-of-3 from deep, but Kingz went 1-for-5 as Syracuse was 5-of-13 overall.
Kingz splashed his first two attempts of the second half to extend SU’s lead to seven, making up for his first-half struggles. Outside of Kingz, the Orange couldn’t get anything going from deep.
In the closing minutes, Syracuse battled back by making a few free throws. Kyle went to the line with under a minute to go, trailing by one and converted both shots. Kingz was out in the final minutes after a collision required treatment from the medical staff. White went to the free-throw line with SU down two and split the pair. If Syracuse shot just a bit better, it could’ve avoided an upset.
J.J.’s best
Starling was practically Syracuse’s only scoring threat a season ago in its disappointing campaign. With a rebuilt roster, Starling has contributed with improved defense and rebounding. But his scoring has yet to break through, averaging only 9.3 points per game. Out of the gate, Starling was on fire.
The Baldwinsville native got the Orange going with a mid-range fadeaway. He then stepped into two 3s and made multiple driving layups to score 12 of Syracuse’s first 15 points. His 12 points through seven minutes already tied his season high.
Starling then went to the bench for the next five minutes, and when he reentered the game, he didn’t score until a minute to go in the first half with a free throw.
Starling finds ways to contribute across all facets, including throwing high-flying lob passes to Kyle and helping defend Davis. Starling’s scoring fizzled out in the second half as he scored just two points, allowing Hofstra to garner a lead.
Point-guard problems
The Orange brought Naithan George in from the transfer portal to rejuvenate their offense. The point guard led the ACC in assists with Georgia Tech a year ago and was supposed to be the maestro of SU’s offensive symphony. Instead, he’s struggled mightily as of late, hurting SU’s offense in the process.
George finished Saturday’s contest with zero points and six assists. The performance came after George shot 3-for-16 from 3 through his last five games while averaging 3.6 assists. George went 0-for-3 from 3 versus the Pride.
As Hofstra pulled in front midway through the second half, growing a lead as large as eight with under 11 minutes to play, Syracuse’s offense had little movement. The Orange scored most of their points through Starling’s aggressiveness in the first half and Kingz’s shooting early in the second. With neither heating up, the weight was on George to facilitate smoothly, and he failed to do so.
With Syracuse in need of a comeback, Adrian Autry opted to put George on the bench and instead play freshman Kiyan Anthony next to Starling. Anthony got downhill, and George remained on the bench the rest of the game as SU fell.
