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Four days ago, Syracuse dominated in its first exhibition matchup. On Oct. 26, the Orange matched up with Clarion and showcased a new-look roster. In SU’s 101-73 exhibition victory, junior J.J. Starling led the way with 17 points while freshman phenom Donnie Freeman posted an impressive 16-point, seven-rebound performance.

Among newcomers from the transfer portal, point guard Jaquan Carlos totaled 14 points and 10 assists in 31 minutes. Though, postgame, second-year head coach Adrian Autry made it clear the lineup would be toyed with in its second and final exhibition.

Wednesday evening against Slippery Rock, SU used a different group. In the final tune-up before Syracuse’s first game against Le Moyne on Nov. 4, the Orange overcame a sluggish start to dominate the final 30 minutes of play. SU finished the first half on a 30-8 run while junior Chris Bell led the way with 17 points, going 6-of-9 from the field.

“Our offense is a little bit ahead of our defense right now,” Autry said postgame. “But I think everything that we’ve done in these two games, I think that’ll translate.”

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s 96-51 exhibition win over Slippery Rock:

The Donnie show

Much anticipation around SU’s 2024-25 basketball season revolves around Freeman. The highly-touted recruit didn’t start SU’s first exhibition but entered less than three minutes in, making a quick impact.

Freeman notched his first start with the Orange Wednesday and played 15 minutes. The freshman, much like his first game, pulled up from mid-range with no hesitation, sinking a contested shot to get on the board.

“He’s really aggressive, which we need him to do,” Starling said of Freeman. “But at the end of the day, he’s guarding the ball, too, and that’s also what we need him to do.”

With Eddie Lampkin Jr. starting on the bench, SU attempted to put Freeman’s back to the basket and feed him inside. But on the first attempt, he was outmuscled inside, turning the ball over and leading to a transition opportunity for Slippery Rock. He also entered foul trouble early and was called for two in the first seven minutes before exiting.

After subbing back in for the final push of the first half, Freeman maneuvered inside and received a slip pass from Lucas Taylor, laying it up for a score. Even when he got to the charity stripe, he was efficient, starting 6-for-6.

The freshman added a free throw in the second half and exited for the final 16 minutes, finishing his first start with 11 points and three rebounds.

Strong 3-point shooting

The Orange were just 12-of-34 (35%) from beyond the arc in their first exhibition. Starling and Bell combined for seven, leading the way for SU. SU made deep shots early and often Wednesday, too.

Bell found nothing but net in the first six minutes before being substituted out. On another, it was Carlos finding the sharpshooter. The next, Starling found Bell uncontested in the left corner for 3.

Starling also connected from deep himself, making a shot along the left side with a foul on the play. Freshman guard Elijah Moore also got in on the action, hitting a left corner 3. With just under 10 minutes to play in the first half, Moore performed a jab step at his defender from the left wing, then pulled a contested deep shot, converting on the play to extend SU’s lead to nine.

“This is a very, very good 3-point shooting team,” Autry said. “We practiced a lot. These guys have the ability. We got guys that really shoot at a high level.”

Chris Bell winds up for a 3-pointer in the corner against Slippery Rock. Bell knocked down a team-high five 3-pointers for Syracuse Wednesday. Leonardo Eriman | Staff Photographer

Bell re-entered and knocked down a 3. He got his defender in the air with a pump fake, took a dribble and a step back to his right and drained the shot to force a Slippery Rock timeout. Delaware transfer Jyare Davis added on in the final minute of the half, with Bell passing up a shot of his own and hitting Davis at the top of the key.

To cap the impressive half, Moore drove baseline and kicked to Bell in the left corner. The junior buried his fourth of the half, extending SU’s lead to 27 and putting it at 9-for-18 from beyond the arc.

The second half was about the same, as Davis, Bell and Starling knocked down SU’s first three attempts from deep. Moore added another two and finished 4-for-10. Bell was deadly from deep, going 5-for-8 while SU finished 15-for-31.

“I feel like we run and gun. So we try to create more possessions,” Bell said. “We want to be one of the fastest teams in the country, so we try to push it up the court. But it’s not always good to live and die by the 3.”

Big-men usage

SU began the game with neither of its centers in the game. With Freeman starting, Naheem McLeod and Lampkin stuck to the bench. In a short stint, McLeod turned the ball over on his first possession but then recorded a dunk, steal and rebound.

“I’m a defender first, so as long as I get my defensive side down, I’m good,” McLeod said. “Offense, I know it’s gonna come, so I try not to worry about it.”

Lampkin then entered for McLeod and made his presence known. The graduate student put his back to the basket, spun inside with multiple pumps and sank the left-handed floater with 6:30 remaining in the first half. Lampkin then stretched the floor, knocking down a 3-pointer from the right wing on a dish from Freeman.

The Orange mixed multiple looks, putting Freeman as the big man at times but also pairing him with Lampkin. In the second half, McLeod was a force inside, corralling two rebounds and throwing down multiple ferocious dunks. Lampkin didn’t appear in the second half and played just five minutes overall.

Rebounding margin

Syracuse outrebounded Clarion by 10 Saturday. Versus the Rock, the Orange saw similar production. Despite a 27-point halftime lead for SU, Slippery Rock led in offensive rebounds 7-3. The disparity, however, was partially due to Syracuse’s ability to knock down shots and Slippery Rock’s struggles — going 3-of-27 from 3 and shooting 22% from the field.

On defense, SU led 20-15 in rebounds. Surprisingly, in the first half, it was Starling who led the way in rebounding with five. McLeod and Lampkin combined for just three boards in the half.

The battle inside continued into the second half, where the Orange showcased a mixed bag of results. SU finished with a +8 margin, though Autry sees the need for improvement.

“We need to play better defense and rebound the basketball,” Autry said. “I think for us to have the season that we want to have, that’s going to be imperative that we do that.”

Published on October 30, 2024 at 9:21 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky