Syracuse Drops 83-80 Heartbreaker to Indiana in Gerry McNamara's First Loss

Syracuse dropped its first game of the season, losing to Indiana, 83-80. Here's a rapid recap of the loss.

What happened

The Orange came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, shooting 4-6 from the field, including a 4-point play from Kiyan Anthony. Syracuse built an early 19-12 lead before losing momentum midway through the half. Back-to-back turnovers and offensive rebounds allowed the Hoosiers to capitalize with a 7-0 run.

Despite the momentum shift, the Orange stayed within reach, relying on tough finishes around the basket, particularly from big man Luke Wilson. Midway through the second half, the two teams remain neck and neck. Star shooter Mark Morano left the game limping. He was nursing a lower leg injury prior to this game. Luke Wilson found himself in early foul trouble, picking up his third foul just 11 seconds into the half.

With Wilson limited and Morano out, the Orange leaned heavily on their bench, relying on Moesch and Anthony to provide much-needed scoring. The second half delivered an entertaining back-and-forth battle, with neither team able to pull away. The game was tied at 74 with just one minute remaining, setting up a dramatic finish. Indiana drew a foul on a three and converted all the free throws. Syracuse failed to answer on the other end, still behind by three with 12 seconds left.

After Indiana made both free throws following a Syracuse foul, Sadiq White knocked down a floater before an Indiana offensive foul gave the Orange one final opportunity to tie. Anthony launched a deep three from the wing, but the shot didn't hit the rim, sealing an 83-80 Indiana victory.

Analysis

Yes, it was the first loss of head coach Gerry McNamara's head coaching career at Syracuse, but keep in mind that SU played essentially a road game against a high-major team without several key players. Aiden Tobiason has missed two games of preseason and now three games of the regular season as he recovers from a hamstring injury, while Mark Morano played just eight minutes after suffering an injury early in the second half.

Still, Syracuse's path to an at-large NCAA bid will be narrow this season, and an early season loss like this in a Quadrant 1 game could be the exact piece of SU's resume they needed in March.

Hero

The Orange's biggest difference-makers came off the bench, particularly Kiyan Anthony and Ryan Moesch. Doty struggled to find his shot early and wasn't having a great game as a whole. Anthony stepped up in the first half, scoring through contact and knocking down a corner three plus a foul.

Moesch took over after halftime, connecting with Luke Wilson on a lob, earning an and one and knocking down multiple corner threes. The bench scored 40 of the Orange’s 80 points. Moesch led the team with 19 points off 6-13 shooting. Anthony scored 16 points off 4-9 shooting.

Zero

Sienna transfer Gavin Doty really struggled this game, air balling a 3-pointer and finishing the first half with just one point on 0-3 shooting. His struggles carried into the second half, when an early turnover led to an uncontested Indiana dunk on the other end. He would finish the game with five points off 2-7 shooting from the field.

While Doty is known more for his work ethic than his perimeter shooting, expectations were high entering the season that he would emerge as one of Syracuse's primary scoring options. So far, he has yet to consistently deliver on that expectation. His backup, Ryan Moesch got 26 minutes to his 28.

What’s next

Coming off this tough loss, Syracuse will have to travel to the city to face number 13 St. John’s in Madison Square Garden on Sunday November 15th. Tipoff at 7 pm EST.

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