Syracuse Holds Off Le Moyne To Win Opener

Monday, November 4

Syracuse, N.Y.

7 PM

Syracuse University

1-0,0-0ACC

Le Moyne

0-1,0-0NEC

Le Moyne

Syracuse

11/4/2024 9:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Syracuse fended off a late charge by Le Moyne on Monday night to defeat the Dolphins, 86-82, in the season opener for both at the JMA Wireless Dome.

How The Game Was Decided
Syracuse withstood early second-half pressure from Le Moyne to stay within striking distance. The Dolphins built a 48-40 lead in the early stages of the second half before the Orange answered with seven straight points, including five from Chris Bell. The Dolphins rebuilt a five-point advantage at 57-52, but Syracuse again responded, this time with eight consecutive points to take its first lead of the second half, 60-57.

The Orange held an eight-point advantage with just over four minutes remaining but Le Moyne did not go quietly. The Dolphins' Trent Mosquera hit a 3-pointer to cut the Syracuse lead to 81-79 with 1:02 remaining. After J.J. Starling converted on a layup for the Orange, Le Moyne's Freds Pauls Bagastskis splashed another triple with 22 seconds left to make the score, 83-82. Jaquan Carlos split a pair of free throws on the ensuing Orange possession, giving the Dolphins a chance to tie or take the lead. With time running out, Bell stole the ball and drew a foul to get to the free-throw line with six seconds left. He calmly knocked down both foul shots to seal a four-point victory for Syracuse.

Balanced Scoring
Five Syracuse players reached double figures in scoring, led by a team-best 22 from Jyare Davis. In his Orange debut, Davis went 7-of-9 from the field and added eight free throws off the bench. Bell also reached 20 points behind a pair of 3-pointers and a 7-of-12 shooting night.

Starling poured in 16 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Bell and Starling combined to score 26 after halftime. Donnie Freeman and Eddie Lampkin Jr. both added 10 points in their first Syracuse appearances.

On a night where they only made four shots from behind the arc, the Orange controlled the game inside, scoring 50 points in the paint .

Memorable Debuts
Davis and Freeman both tallied double-doubles in their Syracuse debuts. Davis pulled down a team-best 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, while Freeman added 11 boards to go along with his double-digit scoring night.

Lampkin Jr. contributed six points in the second half and went 5-of-8 from the field on the night.

Notable Numbers

Syracuse connected on 19-of-34 (.559) shots in the second half.
Carlos paced the Orange with six assists and had just one turnover.
Syracuse had seven steals and scored 27 points off Le Moyne turnovers. Seven different Orange players recorded a theft.
The Orange outrebounded Le Moyne 46-32, which included a 20-7 edge on the offensive glass.
Le Moyne had five players in double digits, led by Bagatskis, who finished with 18 points.

Up Next
Syracuse returns home on Nov. 12 to face Colgate at the JMA Wireless Dome. The contest is slated to start at 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

Tickets
Syracuse men's basketball tickets are available online (cuse.com/tickets), by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) and at the Dome Box Office (Gate B).

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow the team on X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (cuse_mbb).

Gallery: (11-4-2024) MBB v LeMoyne