3 takeaways from Syracuse’s 70-69 loss to Hofstra

Following a lengthy break in its schedule after an upset of then-No. 13 Tennessee, Syracuse returned to the court for its second game in three days to face Hofstra. Despite not boasting the same level of firepower as a team like the Volunteers, the Pride still posed a challenge for the Orange in their own right.

Hofstra entered Saturday’s contest with a strong 7-4 record — including a seven-point victory over Pittsburgh. Now, it hoped to down another Atlantic Coast Conference contender.

Putting its inconsistencies last time out against Saint Joseph’s in the rearview mirror, Syracuse got off to a strong start offensively thanks to an early burst of buckets from J.J. Starling. In an evenly-matched first half, the Orange and Pride exchanged blows the remainder of the frame culminating in a slim 37-36 SU edge after 20 minutes.

After consecutive 3s from Nate Kingz out of the break, the Pride erupted for 21 of the next 27 points to take an eight-point lead with just over 10 minutes left. The Orange nearly mounted a comeback, but came up short.

Here are three takeaways from SU’s deflating 70-69 loss.

Starling’s two-sided performance

In the early going of Syracuse’s campaign, Starling has been the definition of consistency. In every game he played before Saturday, save for SU’s season opener where he left due to injury, he logged between 10 and 12 points. It took him less than seven minutes to continue that trend against Hofstra.

With his team in need of a fast start, Starling sparked SU’s offense by sinking shots at will. He finished the opening frame with a game-high 13 points fueled by a 5-for-9 clip on field goals and two 3s.

However, Starling’s dominance didn’t carry over into the second half. Hindered by the Pride’s defensive adjustments, his only points came with 5:40 left to play off a jumper in the paint.

“He just needs to keep being aggressive. I thought in the second half he wasn’t as aggressive as we need him to be and as he needs to be,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said.

Syracuse struggles to contain Cruz Davis

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, Syracuse knew limiting Cruz Davis would be paramount. Averaging 20 or more points per game, the guard had to be stifled if SU wanted to have any chance of downing Hofstra. That didn’t happen.

Instead, Davis put up his sixth 20-plus point performance of the young season. Cutting through the paint with multiple driving layups, he led the Pride through 20 minutes with 10 points at the intermission.

Unlike Starling, Davis only heated up further out of break. Early in the second, he single-handedly embarked on a 5-0 run and continued to fuel Hofstra’s momentum down the stretch. Davis finished his outing with 22 points behind 8-for-14 mark from field-goal range and a perfect 2-for-2 on 3-pointers.

“If he’s not getting 35 (points) himself, he’s generating that much,” Autry said of Davis. “We hadn’t played against a guy with that type of speed, especially our bigs. He made shot after shot, and he made some tough ones.”

A wild final sequence

Trailing by 10 with 4:34 left, its largest deficit of the game, Syracuse’s chances of making a comeback were growing slimmer by the second. But when the Orange needed to the most, their offense rediscovered its rhythm. Spearheaded by Kiyan Anthony, William Kyle III and Kingz, the Orange clawed their way back into the contest through an 11-0 run and momentarily grabbed a one-point lead.

But it didn’t last. A German Plotnikov 3 restored Hofstra’s edge at 70-68. The Orange drew within one off a free throw make by Sadiq White Jr., but with 18.6 seconds to go the points SU needed never came. Hindered by multiple questionable calls, the Orange never broke through.

“I wish I could answer that question, but I’m not,” Autry said when asked about the late calls that didn’t go his team’s way. “We have to take accountability and I’m going to take accountability for some of the things that we could’ve controlled.”

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