Syracuse men’s basketball ends non-conference slate with a statement 77-48 win over Stonehill

Syracuse men’s basketball (9-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) have struggled with playing down to its opponents competition in the last few games. In the last five contests, the Orange hold a 4-1 record against mid major opponents and have won by an average score differential of 10. The only game SU came out on top by double digits was against Mercyhurst and the first game Syracuse dropped at home this year came at the hands of Hofstra. Tonight, Syracuse finally took care of business effectively and blew out Stonehill (3-10, 0-0 Northeast Conference) 77-48 in its last matchup before ACC action.

The Orange defense shut down the Skyhawks all game. It was the first time since the second game of the year SU held its opponent under the 50 point mark. Syracuse’s defense forced difficult, contested shots leading to Stonehill shooting just over 25% from the field. SU blocked 12 shots with three different SU players (Sadiq White Jr., William Kyle III, Ibrahim Souare) totaling three rejections.

“Our defense really stepped up,” Coach Autry said postgame. “We did a really good job of stepping up, it got a little close and then we really kind of locked down, turned them over.” The Orange forced 15 turnovers and won the points off turnover battle by 25.

@Cuse_MBB on X

Nait George and J.J Starling spearheaded the offense. George tied a season-high 22 points and knocked down a season-best three three-pointers. In the last two contests, the guard has accumulated 44 points of 60 percent shooting from the field.

“I just got to do what is needed for the team, and these guys they give me the confidence, the coaches give me the confidence, and I just go out there and get it done,” George said.

It was a historic night for J.J Starling. The Baldwinsville native notched a season-high 20 points and became the 67th player in program history to score 1,000 points with the program.

“When you talk about our backcourt that is how we envision it,” Coach Autry added.

Second half dominance is the momentum Syracuse needs entering conference play. The Orange held the Skyhawks to 21 points in the second frame, the best defensive effort of the season for SU. Especially, bouncing back defensively after a breakdown in its last game against Northeastern where the Huskies totaled 52 points and won the second half battle.

Syracuse ends the non-conference slate 8-4 as it heads into ACC play after the holidays. “For the first part of non-conference we learned a lot about our team, I know they need a break especially the way we ended up these last five games eleven days,” Coach Autry mentioned. Last year, the Orange ended up in the bottom five of the ACC with a 7-13 record. The last time SU ended in the top five of the ACC was in the 2013-14 season when SU went 14-4 and earned a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament

Syracuse has an opportunity to start conference play on a positive note on New Years Eve. SU hosts Clemson at 2. WAER’s coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 1:30 available here on waer.org and 88.3 FM.