Syracuse was in a battle with Drexel. Then SU’s new identity took over.
Adrian Autry instantly alerted his team at halftime that its “kills” count was subpar. The Orange then turned in its best defensive second half of the Autry era en route to a 30-point win. Courtesy of Scott Schild | syracuse.com
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PHILADELPHIA — Adrian Autry instantly alerted his team at halftime of its first-half “kills” count. The total — which tallies how many times Syracuse produces three defensive stops in a row — was two.
Twenty minutes in, the Orange led by only five points. They knew if they wanted to break the game open, it was all in the kills. What ensued was the best second-half defensive performance of the Autry era.
Syracuse (3-0, Atlantic Coast) allowed just 18 points in the second half as it dismantled Drexel (1-2, Colonial Athletic) 80-50. The Orange held the Dragons scoreless from the 12:20 mark until 6:52 remained in the game, while giving up just six points through the first 13 minutes of the second frame.
“When you talk about being one of the best teams in the country, the best programs in the country, those guys are all good defensive teams,” Autry said postgame. “That’s the reality. Can they score? Yes. But they can get stops when they need to.”
“Defense is our standard,” said center William Kyle III, who notched three steals and three blocks Saturday.
It’s well documented by now. Autry’s aspiration for kills is at the center of the Orange’s rejuvenation in his third year at the helm. It’s part of why Autry is even pictured on the JMA Wireless Dome jumbotron before games, and why a Family-Feud-esque X-marker appears throughout the game.
SU’s goal is to get eight kills a game. The squad talks about the statistic daily each practice. Small forward Nate Kingz said everyone on the roster is cognizant of it in-game. Kyle sees it as a small achievement that leads to bigger things. But after lacking in the first half, Autry challenged his group to get back to “who they are.” The Orange promptly recorded six kills in the second half, reaching their goal.
In the opening frame, Drexel put up 32 points, 12 of which came in the paint. The Dragons created multiple second chances through their offensive rebounding, which outduelled the Orange 7-4 early on. Drexel held a five-point lead with under seven minutes to play in the first half. Syracuse then woke up from its defensive slumber.
After retaking the lead in the closing minutes of the first half, SU put its foot on the pedal to start the second. Then, a defensive brand built in the opening two games reemerged again. What changed, you ask? Autry saw an aggressive hunt with added energy.
“We strung a lot of possessions together, and I thought that was the difference,” Autry said.
What also added to the winning formula was a larger emphasis on the full-court press. Drexel head coach Zack Spiker said he saw SU’s pressing powers on film. The 10th-year head coach hoped his Dragons could slay what the Orange had done to both Binghamton and Delaware State. He quickly found out it wasn’t in the cards.
Drexel point guard Eli Beard tallied 13 points with three turnovers. He described facing SU’s press as “really hard,” and that difficulty was a product of the Dragons not playing in unison in the second half. Though, to Beard’s credit, the Orange did turn up the heat. With J.J. Starling missing his second full game, Bryce Zephir earned increased minutes.
Zephir and Naithan George picked up Beard and fellow guard Shane Blakeney at the onset of the inbound. George saw SU’s defensive momentum as simply a product of beating gaps and trapping. Zephir leaned on the Orange’s offseason work with strength and conditioning director Rob Harris, which made Syracuse into “pests.”
When asked if there was a specific lineup Autry liked for pressing, he said he was comfortable with anyone on the roster pressing. Where one player lacks in speed, they make up in length. And vice versa. Together, they became a well-oiled machine.
“Honestly, our God given talent — athleticism, length, size — really affected them,” Zephir said.
When Zephir or George had a slip-up, Spiker felt the length of Kyle and Donnie Freeman blocked any outlet for relief. From there, he saw a snowball effect from his team, which turned into a deficit as large as 31.
If the Orange haven’t made it clear by now, this is their identity. In their first two games, both against bottom-tier Division I opponents, Syracuse’s defense took over. Against Binghamton in its season opener, George tallied a career-high five steals to lead SU to 11 overall. The squad averaged just 4.8 steals a game last season.
Against Delaware State, the Orange allowed their fewest points since 2020 to pour in for another blowout. In Philadelphia, Syracuse went away from its identity, and it created a close game. When SU went back to old reliable, it separated itself drastically.
While coming to light now, this is what Autry envisioned. George said Syracuse has been working on its defensive prowess since the first day he arrived in the summer. He thinks it’s becoming SU’s “title.”
The Orange will be battle-tested to its limits in the near future. But for now, the foundation is there. Their second-half against the Dragons only cemented it.
“That’s what we want to hang our hat on,” Autry said. “…We’re not there yet, and we got to keep getting better. And I think we will get there.”
