Syracuse Stifles Drexel in 80-50 Win

Saturday, November 15

Philadelphia, PA

3:30 PM

Syracuse University

3-0,0-0ACC

Drexel

1-3,0-0CAA

Drexel

Syracuse

11/15/2025 5:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Behind a second half surge, Syracuse (3-0) topped the Drexel Dragons (1-3) 80-50 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Orange outscored the Dragons 43-18 in the final half, marking the third time this season that the Orange held an opponent to under 20 points in a half.

Kiyan Anthony led the offense with 18 points on 7-of-12 (.583) shooting while William Kyle III grabbed a team-high 10 boards to go with eight points. Eli Beard paced the Dragons with 13 points.

How the Game Was Decided
The Orange were tested early, finding themselves trailing for the first time all year at 17-13 with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Needing a spark, Tyler Betsey provided one, knocking down a three. On the ensuing Drexel possession, Kyle III picked up a steal before Nate Kingz hit a three of his own in transition to put Syracuse back out in front. Kingz added another two points with a layup to extend the Syracuse lead to 21-17.

Keeping the foot on the gas, Anthony knocked down a free throw before converting a driving layup moments later to complete an 11-2 run over four minutes. The Orange defense forced three Drexel turnovers over the run and held the Dragons to just 1-of-5 (.200) shooting. Meanwhile, Syracuse did not cough up the ball once.

The stretch got Syracuse's offense into a rhythm, as the Orange led for the remainder of the game.

Second Half Surge
The Orange used a strong start to the second half to cushion their lead, distancing themselves from the Dragons. Coming into the second half, the Orange led 37-32. Over the opening seven minutes, Syracuse went on a 14-4 run to put Drexel away.

The Syracuse defense took form, holding the Dragons to 1-of-10 (.100) shooting while forcing four Drexel turnovers during the opening run. Conversely, the Orange offense was firing on all cylinders, with five different players scoring over the stretch. Naithan George and Sadiq White Jr. led the way with four points apiece.

Syracuse finished the half holding the Dragons to 7-of-35 (.200) shooting while forcing eight turnovers as the Orange ran away with the win.

Efficient Offensive Play
The Syracuse offense was once again efficient, spreading the ball around while shooting 31-of-63 (.493) in the win. 10 different members of the roster got into the scoring column in the win.

Three different players went into double digits, with Anthony racking up 18, and Donnie Freeman and George picking up 13 apiece.

The Orange made the Dragons pay in the paint, outscoring Drexel 44-20 down low. Kyle III contributed in the paint on both ends, scoring eight points while tallying three blocks.

Notable Numbers

Syracuse improved to 3-0, marking the third straight season the Orange have started with three consecutive wins.
The Orange won the turnover battle in the first half, forcing 10 Drexel turnovers while coughing the ball up just twice. Syracuse capitalized on the Drexel miscues, scoring 10 points off turnovers.
Syracuse allowed just three points in transition, while the Orange picked up 16 points on the fast break.
Syracuse's three-point defense continued to shine, holding Drexel to 6-of-23 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Orange received 21 points from the bench opposed to Drexel's 11.
Anthony has scored 15 points or more in all three of his first career games, now averaging 17.3 points per game.
Kyle III has recorded double-digit rebounds in back-to-back games.
Freshman Luke Fennell had a collegiate-best six points.

Up Next
The Orange will face off against the Monmouth Hawks on Tuesday evening at the JMA Wireless Dome. The matchup is set for a 9:00 p.m. start and will stream on ACC Network Extra.

Tickets
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets

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