A quick take on Syracuse’s 75-60 win over Drexel on Sunday afternoon at the Carrier Dome:
WHAT HAPPENED: Trailing 33-32 heading into intermission, Syracuse came out of halftime on a hot streak, using an 8-0 run to take a 40-33 lead two minutes in. Cole Swider and Joe Girard made back-to-back 3s, and Buddy Boeheim found his brother Jimmy for a jumper, awakening SU from the doldrums. The Orange broke it open with 6 minutes left, as a 12-0 run made it 75-52 with 2:06 left as Syracuse survived an early test in its second game.
ANALYSIS: Syracuse made a concerted effort to defend the perimeter in the second half after the Dragons connected on 7 of 17 shots from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. Drexel shot just 3-10 from 3-point land after intermission, at 37.5 percent overall. Syracuse also made a concerted effort to get out in the open floor, as it forced 12 turnovers which turned into 15 fast break points. Part of the reason why Syracuse was able to get into transition was because of its solid center play from Jesse Edwards and Frank Anselem. The two combined for 14 points, 10 rebounds, and Edwards had a game-high four blocks.
HERO: Buddy Boeheim lead all scorers with 23 points on 8 for 16 shooting from the field. Cole Swider stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists. Mate Okros led Drexel with 16.
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ZERO: While Girard was 3-3 from downtown to start the season 8-8 from distance (a program record), he also committed a team-high three turnovers and had some glaring defensive lapses, drawing the ire of Jim Boeheim. Benny Williams went scoreless, missing all three of his field goals, but drew plenty of oohs and ahhs after his thunderous block from the help side with around five minutes to go.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse has nearly a week off before hosting Colgate on Saturday at 5 p.m. in its final mid-major tuneup before the Battle 4 Atlantis.
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