SU 81, Akron 51
The Orangemen overcame an early, 5-2 deficit, with a 13-2 burst and never trailed again. Damone Brown scored six points in that span and finished with 21 markers, tying his career-high.
SU entered the intermission with a 38-22 lead, a margin the squad expanded on the second half. Brown sparked a 9-0 opening run with a slam dunk just four seconds into play.
The Syracuse advantage swelled to 36 points before settling with the 81-51 final. SU shot .523 from the field, its top percentage of the campaign. The Orangemen passed out 19 assists while committing just eight turnovers.
Syracuse’s defense played a large role in the victory...SU forced 24 Akron turnovers.
Shumpert led the team for the fifth time this season with 25 points.
