College basketball is a 40-minute game, and Syracuse Men’s Basketball has learned that the hard way multiple times in the past few weeks.
But Saturday night, in front of a decent-sized crowd at the JMA Wireless Dome, it really was just the first 20 minutes that sealed the deal.
17 first-half points from JJ Starling led SU to a 40-31 lead at the break that it never looked back on. Syracuse (13-9, 4-5 ACC) rode that moment to an 86-72 win over Notre Dame (11-11, 2-7 ACC), breaking a four-game skid. SU finished the game shooting 57% from the field and 40% from deep.
While SU thrived for the first 20 minutes, an abnormal approach sent confused looks across the JMA Wireless Dome. For the first time in 2026, Donnie Freeman came off the bench and only played seven minutes in the first half. Despite playing more in the second half, it was an underwhelming evening from Freeman (7 points, 5-9 FT).
“I just thought in this game in particular, I thought the matchups were a little bit better (with him on the bench to start),” Autry said after the game.
In his place, SU saw some impressive frontcourt and backcourt appearances.
Per usual, William Klye impressed mightily. He fell just short of a double-double (10 points, 8 rebounds), but between two blocks, multiple dunks, and numerous hustle plays, he easily was the most energetic player on the court for most of his 27 minutes.
But perhaps even more impressively, Sadiq White worked one of his most impressive games of the season. A balanced stat line of five points, six rebounds, one steal, and a block showed that SU’s prized freshman recruit is starting to feel out this college level of play.
“I thought Sadiq gave us a real big boost energy-wise,” Autry said.
The guards really shone for SU. As mentioned before, Starling couldn’t miss in the first half and finished with a season-high 21 points on 9 of 13 shooting. He left the contest late after a hard challenge on one of his lay-up attempts. He appeared to be holding his face and didn’t do postgame media.
21 points would lead SU on most nights. But not tonight. Nate Kingz had a career-high performance, putting up 28 points and icing the win with multiple late buckets.
“I thought Nate Kingz, JJ Starling, they were great when they needed to be,” ND Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry said after the game.
As a whole, strong ball movement jump-started the SU offense. The Orange finished with 21 assists, including 10 from Nait George. Adding the extra pass results in numerous open threes, where the Orange went 10-25 from deep.
“I thought this was the most complete game we’ve had in a long time,” Autry said
The Fighting Irish could never sustain momentum. The star for ND was forward Jalen Haralson, who had a highlight reel dunk and led the team with 26 points. Guard Braeden Shrewsbeery added 17.
While the basketball on the court was plenty entertaining for once, the most special moment came at the halftime break, when the team honored the late Lawrence Moten. SU’s all-time leading scorer, Moten, passed away this past fall. And in front of a crowd, mostly still in their seats at the break, legendary SU coach Jim Boeheim gave a moving speech.
“I’m glad that we recognized a Syracuse great,” Autry said in his post-game presser.
SU returns to action Monday against North Carolina. Check out orangefizz.net for coverage of the rest of the season.
