Syracuse rides commanding second half in 80-50 win over Drexel

After Syracuse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) led by just five points at halftime, it quickly shifted gears out of the break to blowout Drexel (1-3, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association) 80-50 Saturday afternoon. The Dragons were held to just 18 points in the second half, which is tied for the second-fewest in a half by an opponent in Orange head coach Adrian Autry’s tenure.

In a first half that saw four lead changes, SU failed to break through early. That’s something the ‘Cuse was able to do in dominant victories over Binghamton and Delaware State, leading by 18 and 23 respectively. Thus, the Orange needed everyone to show up.

“I just thought our energy picked up from our juicing station, which is the bench.”

He wasn’t lying.

Syracuse’s bench made all the difference. Though Orange guard Kiyan Anthony led all scorers with 18 points, and forward Donnie Freeman and guard Naithan George weren’t far behind with 13 apiece, it was the reserves who changed the game.

SU redshirt senior Bryce Zephir subbed in for George just under seven minutes into the contest and immediately pickpocketed DU senior Eli Beard, finishing with a layup on the other end.

Sophomore Tyler Betsey delivered a 3-pointer two minutes later to give the Orange a lead they’d never relinquish.

Syracuse came into Saturday with the nation’s best defense, surrendering just 45 points per game. The Dragons got within 13 of that threshold after 20 minutes.

At the break, Autry had a message for his squad.

“Our energy, being aggressive, hunting. I thought we did that in the second half,” he said.

The third-year head man has preached hunting as the Orange’s defensive motto. He’s also been tracking kills, which are defensive stops on three consecutive possessions. SU notched three consecutive kills on nine possessions in a three-minute stretch late in the contest, as DU was held scoreless.

But a high-powered defense needs an offense to reciprocate for its effort. That’s exactly what the ‘Cuse did.

Right out of halftime, Anthony and George delivered back-to-back buckets on Syracuse’s first two possessions. The Orange didn’t pump their breaks.

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Syracuse posted a 32.8% 3-point percentage last season, which was below average in the ACC, and it made an effort to nab shooters for its revamped squad. That came in the form of freshman Luke Fennell and George, who both nailed a shot from downtown in the second half.

“I thought we had some dips in our energy, but I thought the second half was phenomenal,” Autry said.

It also helped that SU had a glass-cleaner in William Kyle III, who eclipsed 10 rebounds for the second straight game. Anytime an Orange player missed, he’d be under the rim to extend the possession.

A 30-point win may have been Syracuse’s smallest margin of victory this season, but it certainly isn’t something to wrap its head around, given the second-half defense’s showing. The Orange haven’t conceded 50 points or less in their first three games in over 40 years. And don’t forget SU’s leading scorer from last season, J.J. Starling, could be closing in on a return from his right-leg injury.

The ‘Cuse aim to continue deploying its defensive prowess on Tuesday, when it hosts Monmouth at 9 p.m. WAER’s coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 8:30 p.m.