With two seconds left in the first half, Drexel’s Camren Wynter drained a jump shot to put the Dragons over the Orange 33-32. The majority of the half was wishy-washy for SU. At one point, the Orange’s 23-18 point lead turned into a five-point lead for the Dragons, also holding SU scoreless for five minutes.
Syracuse’s defense fell through in the first, allowing Drexel 14 total points off turnovers. SU’s offense wasn’t much stronger either.
“First half we were a little sluggish here and there. They were a good team, they punched us in the mouth early,” said 6’6” New York Native Buddy Boeheim.
Drexel 31, Syracuse 25 | 2:00, H1
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The Orange have missed six of their last seven shots.
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Orange forward Cole Swider and guard Joe Girard recorded a combined total of just five points in the first half. Luckily, something sparked enough energy for Syracuse in the locker room to switch things around in the second half. Both Swider and Girard were of the four SU players to end up tallying points in the double digits. The two each recorded 11 points. Swider also finished out the game hitting a career high of five steals. Buddy Boeheim joined in on this mix to generate a strong game for the Orange.
Hitting the court again, Swider and Girard secured the first points of the second half with two three-pointers. Both plays were set-up by Boeheim. Buddy’s brother, Jimmy Boeheim ended the game recording 14 points. Buddy also led both sides with 23 total points and tallied four assists.
“The biggest thing was making adjustments at halftime. We came out with a fire and that was what set the tone going,” Buddy Boeheim added to how they made the change.
Syracuse realized a change needed to happen at the end of the first half, and the team understood the assignment. SU made a 180 degree turn, recording eight more points in the paint in the second half compared to the first. Syracuse also doubled fast break points from five to ten.
The Orange’s performance in the second half proved their ability to flip the switch, especially against a “tournament team” like Drexel as Girard titled the opponent. The guard also added, “It shows that we have resiliency here on this team and we’re ready for any kind of battle that hits us in the face.”
With that being said, Syracuse gears up for Colgate next weekend on Saturday at 5:00. This competition will be SU’s last home game in the Dome before heading out to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. WAER’s coverage of Men’s Basketball’s next meeting begins Saturday at 4:30 with GZA Countdown to Tipoff.