What Nate Kingz and Adrian Autry said after Syracuse 76-62 win over Mercyhurst

Syracuse got back on track with a comfortable 76-62 win over Mercyhurst Wednesday night.

The win was much-needed after disaster struck in a one-point loss to Hofstra, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association in its last game.

The Orange got production from J.J. Starling and Kiyan Anthony that helped create a double-digit lead midway through the first half. SU also used its length to defend the paint well, tallying eight blocks as a team. William Kyle III finished with team-high five blocks and had a 15-point, 10 rebound double-double.

Meanwhile, SU cleaned up its shooting. The Orange shot 12 of 16 at the free throw line, one game after shooting 56% from the stripe.

Starling’s scoring uptick continues

Starling got off to a slow start in the scoring column earlier this season. The senior guard missed some games due to injury and didn’t score more than 11 in any of his first five games.

But over the last three games entering Wednesday, Starling had 11 or more points each time.

He continued to clear that mark against Mercyhurst. Starling scored 10 points in the first five minutes. He got started by knocking down a few jumpers and then finished through contact on a putback layup.

On one possession around the 15-minute mark, Starling found an open spot on the left wing and knocked down a confident-looking triple. With that shot, Syracuse took a 17-10 lead after leading by just one point less than a minute earlier.

Starling’s scoring quieted down for much of the rest of the first half, but he still impacted the game. He stayed on the court in lineups with younger SU players including with freshmen Sadiq White and Luke Fennell. He helped create shots and assisted Anthony on a 3.

Starling increased his tally to 15 points midway through the second half. He drove and used his shoulder to lean and create room off his defender for a tough basket. His 15 points tied his season high that he set last game against Hofstra.

“He really asserted himself. We’re at our best when he asserts himself like that,” guard Nate Kingz said of Starling.

Syracuse’s paint defense shines

The Orange had a height and length advantage over the Lakers and used it to their advantage. Less than two minutes into the game, Kingz blocked a layup attempt by Mercyhurst forward in the paint.

During two straight Mercyhurst possessions near the midpoint of the first half, Kyle made his presence known. Lakers’ Deshaun Jackson Jr. missed a layup over the outstretched arms of Kyle and on the next trip down the floor, Kyle made it difficult on Cameron Johnson which led to another miss.

“He does everything,” SU head coach Adrian Autry said of Kyle. “He’s a director out there.”

As SU outstretched its lead to 29-16, Lakers forward James Thomas tried to create some offense with a pass to a cutting teammate. Kingz was in the right spot at the right time again, intercepting the pass in the paint to stop the play.

Within the first four minutes of the second half, Kyle tacked on two blocks. On one block, the forward erased one shot with a big swat that helped SU get up the floor quickly. With Syracuse clamping down on defense, its lead grew to 47-29 at the 15:45 mark of the second half and it won without surrendering much more of its lead.

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