SYRACUSE, N.Y. — It may have been gritty. It wasn’t pretty. But the result wasn’t a pity.
After coming out flat for the first 30 minutes of game action, the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team handled Pace by a final score of 75-57 inside the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday night. Donnie Freeman led the way with 22 points and 9 rebounds in the team’s final exhibition contest.
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Freshman guard Luke Fennell did not play for Syracuse due to a lower body injury.
Syracuse went with a starting lineup of Nait George, JJ Starling, Nate Kingz, Freeman and William Kyle III. Sadiq White Jr. made his first appearance after missing the Buffalo scrimmage with an upper body injury. He finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Syracuse picked up in full-court man-to-man with soft pressure for the second straight game. Adrian Autry went hockey style on his first substitution, going with a line two of Kiyan Anthony, Sadiq White, Ibrahim Souare, Bryce Zephir and Tyler Betsey. Anthony played point guard and immediately buried a three on his first possession.
Pace was the aggressor through the first half. The Setters executed effortlessly for open looks in the halfcourt and took an 18-14 lead. Autry reinserted Freeman and Starling back into the game. Aaron Womack made his first appearance in that stretch as 11 of Syracuse’s 12 available scholarship players saw time.
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At the under eight minute media timeout Anthony came back into the game along with White, who raucously reintroduced himself with the rim.
Syracuse struggled to find good looks in the halfcourt throughout much of the first half. The lulls in action that appeared in the Buffalo scrimmage reemerged in the Pace game — whether that be to lineup experimentation, live game rust to shake off or a cause for early concern is too soon to tell.
The Orange picked up the intensity in the final four minutes of the half to regain the lead. Syracuse went into the break with a 29-27 lead. Freeman led all scorers with 11 at the half.
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Syracuse came out with more energy in the second half but couldn’t quite get a leg up on Pace right away. A frustrated Autry motioned to Zephir as first off the bench in the second half. William Kyle had some nice minutes at center and found himself with a height and athleticism edge scoring inside. He scored three straight buckets for Syracuse. The Orange defense surrendered opening looks to the Setters, however, as Pace led 43-41 at the first media timeout of the second half.
Syracuse dug in to regain the lead as Freeman got going offensively. A corner three by White gave Syracuse a 53-49 advantage as Pace coach Matt Healing called timeout with 10:01 in the half. Syracuse would pull away from there.
White connected on another three — this time from the opposite corner — and Kingz followed that up with a lefty finish at the rim as Syracuse led 61-50. Pace came undone down the stretch with turnovers and miscues as Syracuse picked up the defensive intensity. The Orange jumped out to a 67-50 lead behind a Freeman fadeaway in the lane.
Syracuse kept the full-court pressure on down the stretch and Pace struggled taking care of the ball. The Orange took advantage and manufactured those miscues into points, putting this game away to end exhibition slate.
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Final Stats
Syracuse shot 28-54 from the floor and 5-21 from the three. Pace shot 22-48 from the floor and 6-18 from three. The Orange took better care of the ball in this game, winning the turnover battle 23-10. Pace out-rebounded Syracuse 31-28.
Freeman led all scorers with 22. White had 14 while, Kyle and Kingz all scored in double-figures with ten each.
Next Up
Syracuse officially tips off the season this Monday against Binghamton. That game tips at 7 pm from the JMA Wireless Dome and airs on ACC Extra.
