Orange Downed by #15/13 Iowa State in Las Vegas

Wednesday, November 26

Last Vegas

1 PM

Syracuse University

4-3,0-0ACC

Iowa State

7-0,0-0Big 12

Syracuse

Iowa St.

11/26/2025 2:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Press Conference

Syracuse battled #15/13 Iowa State to a one-point halftime deficit, but the Cyclones' second-half surge proved too much as the Orange fell 95-64 in the consolation round of the Players Era Championship on Wednesday afternoon.

The Orange (4-3) could not overcome the Cyclones' (7-0) efficient offense, as Iowa State shot 36-of-61 (.590) from the field compared to Syracuse's 22-of-56 (.393) at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Freshman Sadiq White Jr. led the way offensively, scoring 14 points, shooting 6-of-7 (.857) from the field. This marks the first time in his career that the freshman has led the team in scoring. Milan Momcilovic was the difference maker, scoring 24 points while knocking down six threes to lift the Cyclones past Syracuse.

How the Game Was Decided
Trailing by just one at halftime, the Orange couldn't slow Iowa State's offense as the Cyclones pulled away early in the second half.

Over the first four minutes of the half, the Cyclones outscored the Orange 18-5 to open a 53-39 lead. Iowa State was 7-of-7 (1.000) over the run, including three makes from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Syracuse turned the ball over three times before the first media timeout.

The lead proved to be insurmountable, as the Cyclones kept their foot on the gas to put Syracuse away.

Trading First Half Runs
The Cyclones and Orange traded long scoring runs in the first half. Iowa State kicked off the surges, coming out of the eight-minute media break going on a 12-0 run. The Orange turned the ball over four times over the stretch, allowing the Cyclones to pull ahead, 28-18.

Syracuse answered with a 10-0 run of its own over a two-minute stretch. The run for Syracuse was powered by the three ball. Junior Naithan George, senior Nate Kingz, and sophomore Tyler Betsey all buried one from deep while senior William Kyle III added a make from the free-throw line to complete the 10-point surge.

The Orange shot 8-of-19 (.421) from distance in the opening 20 minutes, with Betsey leading the way with six points on two makes. Syracuse went to the break trailing, 35-34.

Cyclones Surge in Second Half
Following the decisive strong start to the second half, the Cyclones didn't slow down. Iowa State finished the half shooting 22-of-31 (.710), including 6-of-11 (.545) from deep.

The Iowa State defense kept Syracuse in check, holding the Orange to just 10-of-26 (.385) shooting over the final 20 minutes.

Notable Numbers

Syracuse spread the ball out in the first half, with eight different players notching three points or more.
Seven different Syracuse players knocked down a shot from beyond the arc in the loss.
The Orange defense forced four turnovers in the opening eight minutes, scoring six points off those opportunities.
Freshman Luke Fennell made his first appearance at the Players Era Championship, burying a three-pointer on his first attempt.
The teams combined for 16 turnovers in the first half
Syracuse received 21 points off the bench.
The Orange recorded 28 points in the paint.
Iowa State turned the ball over just twice in the second half.

Up Next
The Orange will have the weekend off before hosting the #17/16 Tennessee Volunteers in the ACC-SEC Challenge on Tuesday, December 2. The game is set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome and will air on ESPN2.

Tickets
Syracuse 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).