After slow start, Syracuse blows out Drexel in moving to 3-0

Syracuse got off to a slow start, but progressively ramped things up in blowing out Drexel in the second half for an 80-50 victory. The Dragons (1-3) were game early, leading for much of the opening 10 minutes of action, but the defense of the Orange (3-0) eventually wore them down, particularly after halftime.

SU dominated a nine-minute span of the second half, outscoring Drexel by a 20-2 margin to blow a seven-point advantage out to 25 with just over seven minutes remaining. Much of the offense came from a couple surprising sources, as Luke Fennell and William Kyle III each had six points in a 12-0 closing burst.

The Syracuse defense shut down Drexel after intermission

The Syracuse defense turned up the pressure in the second half, forcing the Dragons into an ugly offensive display. Drexel shot just 7-of-35 (20.0 percent) from the field in the second half while also turning the ball over eight times.

During that knockout punch in the second half, the Orange were particularly tough on the Drexel offense, holding them without a point for nearly four minutes, then responded to giving up that lone basket by posting almost five-and-a-half minutes of scoreless play.

In all, SU forced 18 miscues and held the Dragons to shooting 32.2 percent from the floor and 6-of-23 from the 3-point line. On the other end of the floor, Syracuse put in a solid effort, shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) from beyond the arc.

Drexel did get out to a quicker start that the Orange, cashing in 6-of-7 shots, including three 3-pointers, to open the game. That enabled them to take a 15-13 lead before the second media timeout of the day. The Dragons added another bucket 90 seconds later to grab their biggest advantage at 17-13 with just over 11 minutes left in the opening half.

The Orange offense started to heat up midway through the first half

Tyler Betsey and Nate Kingz each connected from beyond the arc to put SU in front, then the latter added a short jumper to make it eight straight for a 21-17 lead. Syracuse could only push the lead out to a half dozen before Drexel chipped it down to one before the Orange regained control and took a 37-32 lead at the break.

Just ove four minutes after halftime, SU stepped on the gas. Following a 3-pointer that pulled the Dragons within seven, Donnie Freeman and Sadiq White Jr. each had a pair of foul shots. White hit a jump shot and Kingz drove for a basket that put Syracuse up, 51-36.

Drexel got a lay-up to stop the burst, but Fennell and Kyle went on their scoring spree to effectively end the game.

Kiyan Anthony paced the offense for the Orange, leading the way with 18 points. Donnie Freeman and Naithan George also reached double figures with 13 points apiece, the latter handing out seven assists along the way. Kyle had ten rebounds (seven offensive) to go with eight points, three blocks, and three steals while Kingz nine boards with his seven points.

Eli Beard was the lone Dragon to reach double figures, leading the way with 13 points. Kevon Vanderhorst had nine points while Shane Blakeney and Villiam Garcia-Adsten each chipped in with seven.

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