Syracuse nearly doubles up Delaware State in moving to 2-0 on the season

The game had a lot of similarities to the opener for the Orange, who bullied another overmatched opponent at home

Nov 8, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange forward William Kyle III (42) dunks the ball over Delaware State Hornets forward Cyril Obasogie (10) in the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

While not an exact replica of their season opener on Monday, Syracuse had one trait that was fairly similar in their second game of the campaign: a very healthy margin of victory.  The Orange (2-0) again easily dispatched an overmatched foe at the JMA Wireless Dome, defeating Delaware State, 83-43.

The Hornets (0-2) fell behind on the opening possession and gave up a 7-0 burst after notching their first basket to fall into a 10-2 hole.  SU briefly allowed their guests to hang around, but Donnie Freeman scored seven points, all on the fast break, as part of a streak of ten straight to push them to a 27-9 lead with 7:30 left in the opening half.

The Orange defense once again took advantage of an smaller team

Things rarely got better for Delaware State, as they shot a meager 21.5 percent from the field, including missing all but one of their 14 3-point tries.  Syracuse also forced 15 turnovers in the game, including nine in the first half, and scored at will in transition, owning a 24-6 advantage in fast break points.

The scale tilted in favor of the Orange in transition play helps explain their sizzling shooting.  SU knocked down 58.2 percent of their shots overall, including making 64.0 percent from the field in the second half and 70.6 percent of all 2-point shots they attempted on the day.

After taking that 18-point lead in the opening half, the two squads played evenly until the final two minutes of the session, as Syracuse scored the final seven points to grab a 40-17 halftime lead.  Four minutes into the second half, the Orange ripped the top off the game.

Syracuse put the game away for good early in the second half

In just over five minutes of play, SU delivered a knockout punch in the form of a 15-1 run to take a 61-24 lead just shy of the midpoint of the second half.  Syracuse shot 5-of-6 from both the field and the foul line in hanging that run, paced by Sadiq White Jr.’s six points in the finishing 10-0 burst.

The Hornets would crawl back within 32 points, but the Orange re-asserted themselves, pushing the margin out to 43 points on three separate occasions.

With J.J. Starling missing the game with a hamstring injury suffered against Binghamton, Freeman and Kiyan Anthony, who started in Starling’s place, led the way.  Freeman had 13 of his game-high 20 points in the first half while Anthony supported him with 19 points, including a dozen before the break.  White added ten points while William Kyle III had eight points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks.

Ponce James led Delaware State with nine points in the game.  John Clemmons added eight while Zion Bethea and Cyril Obasogie each chipped in with six, the latter topping the Hornets with seven rebounds.

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