Observations from Syracuse’s win vs. Drexel: Defensive intensity, 3-point woes
Despite Tyler Betsey's first-half lower-body injury, Syracuse pulled away from Drexel in the second half for its third win of the season Saturday. Courtesy of Matthew Simmons | Drexel Athletics
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PHILADELPHIA — Coming off back-to-back blowout wins over Binghamton and Delaware State, Syracuse extended its winning streak to three by defeating Drexel 80-50 in the Xfinity Mobile Arena. In a pivotal year for third-year head coach Adrian Autry, the Orange have gotten off to a dream start.
Even with J.J. Starling (lower body) out for a second straight game and only commanding a five-point halftime lead, the Orange broke the game open in the second half en route to their third blowout win in as many games.
Here are observations from Syracuse’s (3-0, Atlantic Coast) victory over Drexel (1-2, Colonial Athletic):
Second half breakthrough
By the time the Orange entered the locker room in their first two games, it was more of a question of how much they’d win by as opposed to if they’d be victorious. Handling a five-point lead after 20 minutes, Saturday was different.
But the end result was the same, as SU broke the game open and cruised to a 30-point win. Syracuse outscored the Dragons 43-18 throughout the second half, using increased ball pressure and full-court pressure to spark the breakthrough.
Offensively, SU used a group effort to chip away. Kiyan Anthony (18), Donnie Freeman (13) and Naithan George (10) all scored in double figures, while William Kyle III and Nate Kingz finished with eight and seven, respectively.
SU’s defensive intensity stands out
Though SU couldn’t build a double-digit lead in the first half like its first two games, it excelled in the turnover battle Saturday. The Orange forced Drexel into 10 turnovers, while they only coughed the ball up twice.
George, Syracuse’s big transfer portal acquisition after he led the ACC in assists at Georgia Tech, remained in control throughout the game, finishing with seven assists and no turnovers. Among the Orange’s seven turnovers, Anthony had four.
After Autry inserted Akir Souare and Sadiq White Jr. a few minutes into the second half, Syracuse began full-court pressing. It resulted in an instant turnover, a Souare block, another turnover and forcing head coach Zach Spiker to call a timeout. By the time Spiker huddled around the Dragons, their deficit had increased to 49-36 just over six minutes into the half.
Out of the timeout, Syracuse forced Drexel into a shot clock violation after a great close-out by Kingz, forcing an airball. Using the same defensive intensity for the rest of the game, the Orange saw their lead expand to 30, and they won the turnover battle 18-7.
Kiyan Antony carries the load early
With his father, Carmelo, sitting courtside, Anthony scored SU’s first points by driving the lane and finishing through contact. It set the tone for a high-usage first half, where he scored a team-high 12 points on a team-high nine shots. Nine of his points (including a free throw) came from attacking the rim.
Commanding only a 37-31 halftime lead, it was a big boost for the Orange. Especially considering Starling — who averaged 17.8 points per game last year and was named a Preseason Second Team All ACC selection — was confined to the bench with his injury.
Out of the half, Anthony quickly hit a silky mid-range jumper, but he mostly stayed on the bench as SU increased its defensive intensity. When he returned, he got to the cup for another deuce, helping him finish with a game-high 18 points.
3-point woes all around
The Dragons entered Saturday’s matchup with the 61st-best 3-point percentage in the country, draining 39.0% of their triples. SU, meanwhile, placed 262nd by making 28.6% of its attempts.
Drexel showcased its outside shooting prowess in the early going, with Kevon Vanderhorst and Shane Blakeney draining triples on back-to-back possessions just over five minutes into the contest. Anthony responded by draining a catch-and-shoot 3 from the wing off a broken play, but Villiam Garcia Adsten drained one a minute later, pushing Drexel’s advantage to 15-13.
For the Orange to regain the lead, Tyler Betsey canned a catch-and-shoot triple from the left wing on a feed from George, before George assisted a Kingz 3 on the ensuing possession. The consecutive triples gave SU a 19-17 lead halfway through the first half.
Both squads entered halftime 4-of-10 from beyond the arc but struggled in the second half. The Dragons’ lone 3-point make came four minutes into the half, but that was their only made triple in the final 20 minutes.
Syracuse, meanwhile, also struggled, but Luke Fennell and George each connected from beyond the arc. The Orange finished 8-of-18 from deep, while Drexel was 6-of-23.
Betsey injured, rotation notes
About seven minutes into the game, graduate transfer Bryce Zephir replaced George and assumed point guard duties. Across Syracuse’s first two games, Fennell typically was the reserve guard. However, after averaging 1.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists across the first two games, he didn’t play in the first half.
Autry opted to have the Orange eventually go 10 deep into their rotation, but Betsey suffered an injury midway through the first half and didn’t return. Despite using five reserves, Autry mostly leaned on his starters, with Zephir leading the reserve unit with 15 minutes.
Following an up-tempo first eight minutes with George not coming off the floor to begin the second half, Fennell entered the game just before the under-12 timeout. He drained a 3-pointer a minute later, pushing the Orange’s lead to 54-38, staying on the floor for most of the rest of the game as their lead ballooned.
Toward the end of the game, Autry unloaded his bench as walk-on Noah Lobdell made his season debut and freshman Tiefing Diawara scored two points.
