Syracuse 71, St. Joes 63: Syracuse returned to the Dome for the first time since their electric 76–72 upset over 13th-ranked Tennessee; A win that halted SU’s three-game losing skid, and led to a full-on court storming.
After nine days off, the Orange aimed to keep their newfound energy rolling as they hosted Saint Joseph’s for the first time since 1999. Like Syracuse, the Hawks arrived on the hill with some momentum, riding a four-game win streak with quality wins over Temple and Princeton.
The biggest storyline heading into tonight was the possible return of Donnie Freeman, who had missed the last four games with a leg injury. Syracuse’s leading scorer was ruled out about an hour before tip.
St. Joes started this game hot, taking a 8-4 lead before Nate Kingz connected on a corner three allowing the SU faithful to finally take a seat. After the under-16 timeout, The Hawks found its rhythm, jumping out to a 14-7 advantage thanks to 5 early Syracuse turnovers (which has continued to be an achilles heel this season). Coming into tonight, the Orange sat bottom 3 in the ACC, giving the ball away 11 times per game on the season.
But Tyler Betsy wasn’t going to let Syracuse struggle much longer. The Sophomore hit back-to-back threes giving Syracuse their first lead of the game at 16-15. William Kyle extended SU’s scoring run to 8-0 with a two hand slam.
It took a whole 12 minutes for Syracuse to wake up defensively, creating a pair of turnovers to give Cuse a 24-18 lead with 6:00 minutes left till break.
Syracuse slowed down offensively from there, allowing Saint Joseph’s to settle down and claw their way back. Guard Derek Simpson connected on a three to end the first half on a high note for the Hawks, as Syracuse went into break leading 34-30.
As expected, St Joseph’s came out of the half recharged on both sides of the ball. Led by a pair of baskets from Guard Jaden Glover-Toscano, the Hawks tied it at 38 a piece, forcing Cuse to take its first timeout. But like in the first half, when SU needed a spark, Tyler Betsy was there. The Sophomore, who finished with a season high 16 points, connected on a deep three to beat the buzzer.
Tied again at 43, Kiyan Anthony, who had been held scoreless, converted a deuce with contact, and finished the three point play at the cherry stripe. Anthony finished with a season low 6 points. Nate Kingz connected from deep on the ensuing possession to give Cuse a 49-43 lead with 12 minutes to play.
But similar to SU’s narrow victory over Monmouth, Saint Joseph’s continued to hang around. With 8:32 left, Senior Justice Ajogbor converted a rim-run to cut Cuse’s lead to just two, and again to three with 5:32 left.
Tyler Betsy continued his offensive surge with an and-1 jumper to give Cuse a 7 point advantage with 4:28 remaining, and added on with a floater with under 3:00 to play.
In the end, Syracuse did what they needed to do: they won. No, it wasn’t pretty — a 9 p.m. Thursday tip after more than a week off rarely is. But it was enough. And while the game didn’t reveal anything life-changing about this team, it did reinforce what we already know: Syracuse has a defense capable of carrying them, and an offense still searching for consistency.
