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Syracuse’s start to its 2024-25 campaign has been less than impressive. The Orange opened the year with a four-point victory over Le Moyne followed by another razor-close win over Colgate. In both wins, the Orange looked subpar. They let two below-average teams hang around for much longer than they should’ve.

Saturday, SU welcomed Youngstown State to the JMA Wireless Dome for the first-ever meeting between the two. It also marked the final game of a three-game home stretch for the Orange to start the season.

It was another slugfest for Syracuse. The Orange battled with the Penguins for 50 minutes of game-time in a matchup that lasted nearly three hours. Once again, SU somehow pulled it out for the third straight game.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (3-0, Atlantic Coast Conference) 104-95 double-overtime win against Youngstown State (1-2, Horizon League) Saturday:

Overtime madness

Despite Syracuse’s first two games being extremely close, neither game went to overtime. Saturday, the Orange got their first taste of it when they forced a last-second steal when YSU had a chance to win the game on the final play.

J.J. Starling answered a Ty Harper bucket to start overtime and get Syracuse on level terms. Another jumper put the Orange in front before another bucket from Nico Galette leveled the game again. Donnie Freeman slammed home a dunk before Jaquan Carlos pickpocketed Jason Nelson to put the Orange up four.

Eddie Lampkin Jr. then fed Chris Bell down low, who converted an and-one as SU extended its lead to six. Following a Youngstown State timeout, Syracuse then forced Galette to dribble the ball out of bounds. Syracuse extended its lead to eight before two straight 3-pointers from the Penguins trimmed it down to two. Carlos then missed two free throws and then committed his fifth personal foul to put YSU at the line. Harper converted both looks to send the game to double overtime.

With SU down one, Lampkin pulled in a crucial offensive rebound and kicked it out to Elijah Moore for three and the lead. Lampkin followed it up with four straight points down low before drawing a foul on a rebound with Syracuse up 95-91. Freeman hit two free throws with 42 seconds left to put the Orange up seven and all but end the madness.

Another slow start

A common theme between Syracuse’s first two games is that it’s gotten out to lethargic starts. It was evident against Le Moyne when the Orange trailed by nine points in the first and five at the break. They eventually turned the game around, but then it happened once again a week later.

Against Colgate, the Orange led in the first half but couldn’t get that much separation. Their three point advantage at half was an improvement from Le Moyne, but not good enough.

For the third straight game, Syracuse looked out of sorts to start the game. Youngstown State came out with more urgency early on. Nelson knocked down a 3-pointer six minutes in to put the Penguins up 14-7. SU attempted to cut into the lead but still trailed 17-12 nearing the midway point of the half.

Syracuse couldn’t get a rhythm going on the offensive end. It was constantly locked down on the perimeter with tight defense from YSU’s guards. The Penguins shot 15-for-30 in the first half, while SU went just 12-for-34 from the field.

It wasn’t until the 9:45 mark where Syracuse gained its first lead. Lampkin controlled the ball at the top of the key with Lucas Taylor cutting around him. Lampkin easily fed Taylor for a layup to put the Orange up 18-17 with 9:45 left in the first half. Despite a mini run from Syracuse, Youngstown State snatched the momentum before halftime, leading by seven.

Can’t stop Farmer

EJ Farmer entered Saturday averaging 5.5 points per game while shooting 1-for-19 from the field in 24 minutes per game. By the first media timeout, the point guard had eclipsed that total, and he did it with ease. Farmer got whatever he wanted on the offensive end, blowing by Syracuse guards on two occasions.

On YSU’s second offensive possession, Farmer received the ball at the top of the key on a dribble handoff. He scooted by Starling to deposit his first two points of the game. A few possessions later, he repeated the same action.

Farmer added a mid-range pull-up to put the Penguins up 8-3 early before a lefty floater put them up six points. Soon after, he attempted a deep pull-up 3-pointer as a heat check. Though it missed, the attempt encapsulated Farmer’s confidence. Farmer went six minutes in between field goals, but a drive with less than four minutes left put YSU up 32-27 and forced Adrian Autry to call a timeout. Farmer’s 13 first-half points led all scorers.

After Syracuse regained a 56-55 lead, Farmer hit a dribble pull up from the left elbow to put the Penguins back in front. With YSU trailing by one and under two minutes left, Farmer got a friendly roll on a mid-range jumper to put the Penguins back in front. The guard finished with a team-high 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting.

3-point struggles

Syracuse’s 3-point shooting was a major concern heading into the season. Bell was the only reliant shooter from last year at 42%. The question was, in 2024-25, who would help Bell out on the perimeter?

The answer so far is pretty clear. Nobody. The Orange knocked down 12 3s heading into Saturday, three of which came from Bell.

SU posed zero threat from the outside against the Penguins, especially in the first half where it went 1-for-13 from the outside. Late in the first half, Bell lined up a triple from the right wing which clanked off the iron. Petar Majstorovic pulled in an offensive board, kicking back out to Bell, who missed on his second straight attempt. Bell then sulked his shoulders after seeing his attempt go long.

The next time down the floor, Starling dribbled up the court. The Orange didn’t even get in an offensive set before he pulled from long range. Yet again, the attempt was off the mark. SU’s lone 3-pointer from the first half was when Bell connected three minutes into the contest.

Starling and Freeman’s spark

Syracuse desperately needed a spark tailing by seven at halftime. The Orange looked dead in the water and out of ideas. That’s when Starling and Freeman took over. The duo played just a combined 38 minutes in SU’s win over Colgate. Starling was in foul trouble, while Freeman struggled to get on the floor.

Starling and Freeman traded buckets to start the second half. A reverse layup by Starling cut SU’s deficit to 38-33. Freeman then recorded six of SU’s next eight points, two of which came via emphatic dunks. Starling followed with a drive in transition and a 3-pointer from the left wing to tie the game 46-46.

Starling then initiated a pick and roll with Freeman at the top of the key. The point guard fed Freeman with a perfect pass and Freeman drilled his look from beyond the arc to put the Orange in front. Freeman and Starling combined to score SU’s first 21 points of the second half.

The trend continued throughout the entire second frame. Outside of Lampkin, no other Syracuse player made a field goal in the second half. With Syracuse trailing 68-67, Starling pulled in a rebound. Freeman bursted up court and Starling hit him for a layup to put the Orange back in front. Syracuse trailed by two with 14 seconds left before Starling went coast-to-coast for a layup to tie the game.

Starling and Freeman combined to score 53 points on 22-of-36 shooting from the field, helping Syracuse to a win.

Published on November 16, 2024 at 4:17 pm

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