Syracuse basketball took down Mercyhurst, 76-62, for another non-conference win.
The Orange were in control of this game from start to finish, using a balanced offensive attack with five players scoring in double figures.
Senior captain JJ Starling led the way with 15 points and 4 assists, including 10 points in the first five minutes of the contest, setting the tone offensively.
“I just want to win,” Starling said. “Every night isn’t going to be my night. I just want to do whatever it takes to win, whether that’s offensively or defensively, and because of how hard I’ve been working, it’s been offensively recently.”
“JJ, the last couple of games, has really come out being aggressive and setting the tone,” head coach Adrian Autry added. “He’s worked so hard to get himself back into the form we know he has.”
After missing three games earlier in the season with a lower-body injury, Starling has started to hit his stride, averaging 13.3 points per game over his last four games.
Freshman Kiyan Anthony and junior Naithan George made strong contributions as well, both finishing in double-digit scoring. Anthony finished with 12 points and 3 rebounds, with George adding on 12 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
Syracuse basketball was extremely active in the paint, on both ends of the floor. The Orange outrebounded the Lakers 39-32, leading to 46 points in the paint and 18 second-chance points.
This was, once again, largely due to William Kyle’s presence in the paint. Kyle finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks, securing his third double-double of the season and continuing to be the anchor on both ends of the floor for this Syracuse basketball team.
“I try and take more pride defensively,” Kyle said. “Obviously the ball went in the rim for me tonight, but defensively is where I feel like I can separate myself as a player and take leaps for the team.”
“Will Kyle is a unique talent defensively. He really impacts the game for us,” Autry added. “We need someone back there that can guard the low post, be able to protect the rim, and rebound. And offensively, he puts a lot of pressure on the rim and is just relentless.”
Freshman Sadiq White also had a huge impact, nearly joining Kyle with a double-double, adding 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Although the game was won convincingly, the Orange were outscored 39-37 in the second half after holding Mercyhurst to just 23 points in the first. Turnovers played a major role, with Syracuse committing 16 giveaways that led to 23 points for the Lakers.
Despite these issues, Syracuse basketball turned a season-long weakness into a strength, converting on 12-16 free throws for 75%, their best of the season.
Syracuse hosts Northeastern on Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome, where they’ll try to turn a solid bounce-back win into a more complete performance.