Syracuse overcomes slow start, offensive inconsistency, and Saint Joseph's

Syracuse had a lethargic start to their first game in over a week, but eventually shook it off well enough to claim a 71-63 home win over Saint Joseph’s. The Orange (6-3) never had a comfortable lead until the final couple minutes, but held off the Hawks (6-4) when they built up a three-possession lead in the final four minutes.

Saint Joseph’s entered the game as one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country and SU forced them into shooting a lot from the perimeter. The Hawks shot just 36.4 percent overall from the field, a number dragged down by their 5-for-26 (19.2 percent) effort from beyond the arc. The guests helped their own cause by tracking down 14 of their misses, helping them to a 44-31 rebounding advantage.

Syracuse had a balanced offensive effort, getting five players into double figures, and got three 3-pointers from both Tyler Betsey and Nate Kingz. That perimeter shooting helped Betsey lead the Orange with 16 points with Kingz close behind with 14. William Kyle III posted a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with four blocks. J.J. Starling added 11 points and Naithan George ten.

Syracuse gradually overcame their slow start, using a first half run to take the lead

SU struggled on both ends of the floor in the opening minutes. Saint Joseph’s did not trail in the opening minutes and ran off a 10-3 run for a 14-7 lead just over six minutes into the game.

Syracuse chipped a few points off the margin, then tore off ten straight points to wake up the crowd. Betsey started things with a pair of 3-pointers, then William Kyle III rammed home a Kiyan Anthony miss. Betsey closed the burst with a jumper that eventually curled into the net for a 20-15 Orange lead with a little over eight minutes until the break.

The SU defense helped boost them into the lead by locking down the interior at the same time. They forced the Hawks into eight straight misses at one stretch, only allowing two shots inside the arc, as well. Kingz would push the lead out to six points on a fast break layup, then later seven on a foul shot, but Syracuse allowed the Hawks to draw back within a deuce before taking a 34-30 halftime lead.

SU eventually took a solid second half lead after being threatened by the Hawks

The Orange twice stretched their lead to a half dozen early in the second half, but Saint Joseph’s quickly tied the game up. After the Hawks forced a third second half tie, Anthony had a three-point play, then set up Kingz for a 3-pointer, giving SU a quick 49-43 advantage less than eight minutes into the second session.

The guests chipped away, drawing within a single point, but Syracuse responded by slashing inside for a series of layups to reinstate their six-point lead at 58-52 with under eight minutes on the clock. A Betsey jumper nudged the margin out to 63-56 before the final media timeout, the largest lead for the Orange to that point, then a Kyle foul shot made it an eight-point lead.

SU then offset a Hawk basket with a pair of scores, including a Kyle fast break lay-up for the first double figure lead of the night. Building that margin allowed Syracuse to overcome some choppy foul shooting in the final two minutes and secure the win.

Deuce Jones topped all scorers with 18 points to lead Saint Joseph’s. Jaiden Glover-Toscano fell jusy shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine boards. Dasear Haskins chipped in ten points and Derek Simpson nine.

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