The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team fell in its first exhibition game of the season, dropping to old Big East rival UConn 72-52 on Tuesday night. UConn controlled the game and led for over 31 minutes from Mohegan Sun Arena.
Syracuse struggled to execute in its halfcourt offense, shooting 15-49 (31%) from the floor and 4-19 from three (21%). The Orange elected not to switch on screens on the defensive end. UConn owned the rebounding battle 41-33 and scored 18 second chance points.
Najai Hines led the way for UConn with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Silas Demery scored 13 points while Nik Khamenia had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Sadiq White led the way for Syracuse with 17 points on 6-9 shooting including 2-4 from three. No other Syracuse player scored in double-figres.
Syracuse head coach Gerry McNamara went with a starting lineup of Garwey Dual, Aiden Tobiason, Gavin Doty, White and Tasman Goodrick. Mark Morano was unavailable as a precaution with a hamstring issue. Braylon Mullins did not play for UConn.
Tobiason went down early in the game grabbing at his right hamstring and limped back to the Syracuse locker room. He would not return. Kiyan Anthony checked in for him as the first player off the bench.
McNamara went 11-deep in the first half. Bench rotation: Anthony, Francis Folefac, Abdramane Siby, Ryan Moesch, Amarri Monroe and Luke Wilson, respectively.
Both teams got off to sluggish offensive starts as the game was knotted at four — featuring eight turnovers and six fouls — in by the first media timeout. Siby and Folefac both checked in after the first media timeout. Moesch electrified with his pace and passing early. He also led Syracuse is rebounding in the first half with five of the team’s 12 rebounds.
Wilson tied the game at 13 just before the under eight minute media timeout. UConn punched back with a Demery floater and Khamenia three to lead 18-13 with 6:13 in the first half. The Huskies extended its lead to eight before a banked in three by White stopped the run. UConn’s Egor Amosov knocked down a three but Doty answered to get back within two possession 25-21 at the last media timeout of the half.
Syracuse knotted the game at 26 on an Anthony layup and had a chance to take the lead but back-to-back second chance buckets from UConn gave the Huskies a 31-26 edge at the break. The Huskies would lead the rest of the way.
UConn led the rebounding battle 23-12 at the half and held a second chance points edge 16-4. White led all scorers at the half with ten.
Anthony started in the second half in place of Tobiason. Wilson was first off the bench in the second half. UConn extended its lead to nine by the first media timeout of the second half and never looked back. Syracuse narrowed the rebounding gap in the second half but continued to struggle in its halfcourt offense. A few errant shots by Moesch and fluid offense by UConn extended the deficit to 17 with 7:50 to play.
UConn pushed the lead to 21 and with just under seven minutes remaining Dual limped off the court, appearing to sprain his right ankle. He returned to the bench in favor of Moesch. Hurley responded and withdrew his main weapon in Demery with five minutes to play.
Down the stretch the UConn offense did what the UConn offense and scored at will, wearing the Syracuse defense down as the Orange elected not to switch screens. Hurley showed why UConn has one of the best systems in college basketball as UConn owned both ends, shooting 12-25 in the second half (48%) and limiting Syracuse to 8-29 shooting (28%).
Iker Martinez, Syracuse’s 7-foot freshman center, made a late appearance for Syracuse as McNamara played 12 players in total.
Next up
Syracuse travels to take on Siena this Sunday in Albany for its second of three exhibition contests. That game tips at 2 p.m. from MVP Arena.