‘Cuse Powers By Adrian, 84-35

Monday, November 10

Syracuse, N.Y.

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Adrian (Exhibition)

ADRIAN

Syracuse

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

11/10/2014 9:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Syracuse slams the door on Adrian in the second half with 23 unanswered points and just 11 allowed

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse effort in the second half of its final exhibition matchup with Adrian was a spectacle for the Orange faithful in the Carrier Dome Monday night. The Orange defeated the Bulldogs, 84-35 with 47 of its points coming in the second half, and allowing 11 in the latter stanza.

Offensively, the Orange found five double-digit scores with one recording a double-double. Syracuse was just a few points away from having eight scorers in double figures with three members of the Orange finishing within three points of double-digits.

Defensively, Syracuse created havoc on both ends of the court, reigning in 24 offensive and defensive rebounds for 48 total. 'Cuse made it very difficult for Adrian to get anything going offensively, forcing 29 turnovers that led to 42 points for the Orange.

Firing On All Cylinders
Chris McCullough finished with a double-double, netting a team-leading 13 points and 16 rebounds. Nine of his boards came on the offensive end. Next in line was Rakeem Christmas who was a force to be reckoned with in the paint, as the center finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five blocks.

Ron Patterson, Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney all finished with 10 points. Gbinije also tallied six assists and four steals to go along with three rebounds.

Tyler Roberson and Kaleb Joseph fell just a point shy of the 10-point mark while B.J. Johnson finished with seven on the night. Joseph tied Chinonso Obokoh with six rebounds while Roberson and Christmas finished with five a piece. Joseph also added four steals and a team-high six assists to his line.

Sending A Message
The Orange kicked off its final exhibition matchup with a 10-2 run and wouldn't allow Adrian within six points of its lead until Syracuse busted a 10-0 run to make the score 34-17 with five minutes left in the half. Fighting to stay in competition, the Bulldogs used a 7-3 run of its own to enter the break trailing 13 with 'Cuse leading, 37-24.

Syracuse was physical in the paint, grabbing 18 points under the basket. Struggling to defend the Orange inside, Adrian committed nine personal fouls in the half, sending 'Cuse to the line where it was successful on 11-of-14 attempts.

Christmas and McCullough led the way for the Orange inside but the offensive output was a group effort as there were seven different scorers for Syracuse in the half. Christmas led the Orange in the half with 11 points, shooting 3-of-4 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. McCullough corralled 12 of Syracuse's 28 rebounds in the half with seven of them coming on the offensive end where 'Cuse recorded 17 total.

The Orange did a fine job of converting offensive rebounds and turnovers into points as 'Cuse recorded a total 17 points off turnovers and 16 second chance points in the first.

Second Half Spectacle
The Orange fired out of the break with 23 unanswered points in the half and the defensive effort from 'Cuse stunned the Bulldogs, holding them scoreless until 11-minutes, 39-seconds into the second stanza. Following the run, Syracuse refused to ease off the gas, outpacing Adrian, 24-11 to win by a 49-point margin, 84-35.

McCullough's shots began to fall in the second as he netted nine of his team-leading 13 down the stretch. The freshman continued his success from the charity stripe, finishing a perfect 9-of-9 to contribute to Syracuse's 20-for-29 showing from the free throw line.

'Cuse locked down on defense causing all sorts of problems for the Bulldogs, recording 9-of-13 steals, 6-of-10 blocks, 20-of-48 rebounds and caused 17-of-29 turnovers all in the final stanza.

Let The Season Begin
Friday, November 14, the Orange begins its 2014-15 regular season in the Carrier Dome at 7:00 p.m. against Kennesaw State. The game will be broadcast free of charge online on ESPN3.