3 takeaways from Syracuse's 71-63 win over St. Joseph's

Behind strong play from its transfers and key runs late, Syracuse battled to a 71-63 win over St. Joseph’s Thursday.

The Hawks visited the JMA Wireless Dome on a four-game winning streak, including wins over Temple and Princeton, but the Orange pieced together strong play late to pull away with a win. Tyler Betsey scored a team-high 16 points and Naithan George chipped in his most points in four games.

However, for most of the game, Syracuse was in a close battle with St. Joseph’s. The Orange were outrebounded 44-34, an area that SU head coach Adrian Autry wants to see improvement from, especially by guards. Autry said he also saw SU have inconsistent energy on defense.

To make up for some shortcoming, Syracuse got many contributions offensively, with five players scoring in double figures.

Here are three takeaways from SU’s first game in nine days.

Tyler Betsey sparks Orange

Syracuse faced a 14-7 deficit early, and Betsey helped the Orange dig out of it. He hit a pair of 3s less than a minute apart. His first triple marked Syracuse’s second of the game and it brought the Orange within two points of the Hawks.

The Cincinnati-transfer carried his hot touch and knocked down a second 3 from the top of the arc – while getting fouled. This gave Syracuse a 16-15 lead with under 10 minutes left in the first half.

Betsey’s triples kick-started a 10-0 scoring run for the Orange. Soon after, Betsey hit a baseline jumper. With three baskets, Betsey’s tally was a team-high eight points with about eight minutes left in the first half.

In the second half, Betsey delivered in a key moment too. With the game knotted at 40, Syracuse had the ball late in the shot clock and J.J. Starling was being hounded. He passed the ball to Betsey on the right wing, and he nailed a triple at the buzzer.

A few possessions later, Betsey secured an offensive rebound that led to an and-1 finish by Kiyan Anthony. With that second chance basket, SU led 46-43.

“He’s very talented,” George said of Betsey. “What he did today is something he can do kind of every game. What he did today was special. That’s what we’re used to.”

William Kyle, SU show some promise at free throw line

Syracuse’s struggles at the free throw line had been well documented. Many fans will remember SU’s 12 for 29 clip in a loss to Houston. The Orange showed a little more consistency at the line which helped it separate from the Hawks.

SU’s start was strong. The Orange made their first four free throws. George was the first to knock down a pair and then William Kyle hit two at the stripe.

Kyle went on to knock down two more free throws in the first half. Then, in the second half he added two more. He finished with a season-high six made free throws and he also shot a season high 66 percent.

“Today was definitely the best I’ve felt at the line. The work I’ve put in [has helped], we’ve made some changes [to] my routine this week and last week.”

He credited his work with Autry and assistant coach Dan Engelstad for his success at the stripe.

Naithan George ramps up aggressiveness

George has struggled to score in the past three games. But George was far more aggressive on Thursday night with 10 points and three assists.

The Hawks used a press defense midway through the second half and George stayed aggressive. After breaking the press on one possession, George drove the lane and drew a foul. After imbounding the ball, SU turned back to George, and he drove to his right and scored with a soft touch off the glass.

A few possessions later, George went back to a similar move and scored a right-handed layup. This basket gave SU a 54-50 lead as it entered the final nine minutes of the contest.

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