The Syracuse Orange defeated the Southern Connecticut State University Owls in an 84-59 victory on Monday, November 6th at the Carrier Dome in their second and final exhibition game of the season.
A familiar face was present in the Dome on Monday, as John Wallace, the third leading scorer in school history and forward from 1992-1996, was in attendance to cheer on his son, Joey Wallace of the Owls. Joey Wallace proved the family’s success on the Orange court, draining the first three of the game.
It was a very slow and very ugly start for the Orange, trailing 11-0 until freshman Oshae Brissett got a put back on an offensive rebound, drawing a foul in the process. With 15:17 left in the first half, the Orange trailed the Division II SCSU Owls 11-2 and would play a game of catch-up for the remainder of the half.
A late 12-2 run near the end of the first half helped Syracuse close the gap and enter halftime down only 29-24. With 13 turnovers, shooting 2-13 from three-point range and 26% from the field, there was no where but up for the Orange. The only players to score for Syracuse in the first half were Tyus Battle, Frank Howard, Oshae Brissett and Geno Thorpe, with Battle and Brissett responsible for 17 of 24 points.
SU vs. Cornell @ 7:00 PM. Countdown to Tip-off starts at 6:30 PM on 88.3 WAER.
With SCSU shooting 4-14 from the three-point line and 35% from the field, the second half would prove to be anybody’s game.
Whatever pep talk was given in Syracuse's locker room definitely sparked a fire for the Orange, going on a 17-3 run at the start of the second half. The return of the full-court press proved to be very effective, forcing several turnovers that turned into easy buckets.
Syracuse would defeat SCSU 68-49 to come back after a turbulent first half.
Syracuse will take on Cornell in their regular season opener on Friday, November 10th in a battle of the Boeheim’s. In his first year, Jim Boeheim’s oldest son, Jimmy Boeheim will make his regular season debut in the Dome against the Orange.