Syracuse wasted no time getting into a rhythm Thursday night against Central Connecticut State, and the Orange kept building on it early inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
Mark Morano got Syracuse on the board with a second-chance basket on the game’s first possession, and the Orange followed that with a strong defensive stand that ended in a bad shot from Jhace Johnson at the end of the shot clock. Morano then found Luke Wilson in the paint for a dunk that brought the crowd to life.
Central Connecticut answered when Syracuse lost track of Raphel Laurent on a switch, and he buried a corner 3 over Wilson. From there, Syracuse kept leaning on its size and activity around the rim.
Sadiq White Jr. attacked the basket and went 1-for-2 at the line, while Wilson scored again in the paint before picking up his first foul. Morano also knocked down a 3 from the top of the key before the first media timeout.
By the 11:36 mark of the first half, Syracuse had stretched the lead to 20-11. Wilson was already up to 6 points, and the Orange were 8-for-11 from the field while also collecting two of their misses. Laurent had accounted for 7 of CCSU’s 11 points.
The Orange’s bench started to make noise, too. Ryan Moesch and Kiyan Anthony checked in for Gavin Doty and Garwey Dual, and Amarri Monroe followed as the next Syracuse reserve to enter.
Monroe made an immediate impact with a two-dribble drive for a layup. Moesch then set up Wilson with a lob, and Anthony added a floater that drew an and-1 as Syracuse pushed into the under-12 break.
Syracuse entered the night with the same starting five it used Monday: Dual, Doty, Morano, White and Wilson. Central Connecticut made one change, starting Laurent, Johnson, Rashawn Tibby, James Jones and Jayden Mott. Johnson got the nod over Matt Goodwin, who played just six minutes in the Blue Devils’ opener.
Bert Smith, Isaac Barnett and Connor Mooney were on the whistle.
Jim Boeheim was also courtside for the second straight game.
The matchup came two days after Syracuse opened its season with a 74-58 win over New Haven in front of 23,283 fans, the most for a home opener in a decade. That night gave Gerry McNamara his first victory as Syracuse head coach, coming just two days after the death of his father, Gerard.
Kiyan Anthony led the Orange with 17 points in that opener, while Doty and White both posted double-doubles. Syracuse jumped out to an 18-0 lead in that game before the rest of the night settled into a much tighter stretch, and McNamara made it clear afterward that he wanted more.
“The second half, we’re going to have a lot of film,” he said postgame. “Both sides of the basketball, we need to be a lot better.”
Aiden Tobiason remained out for Syracuse with a hamstring injury for the second straight game, and the fourth including exhibitions.
Central Connecticut arrived in Syracuse after opening its season Monday with a 68-56 loss at Temple. The Blue Devils were led by 18 points off the bench from Ashton Reynolds and 13 from Laurent.
Patrick Sellers’ team was picked tied for third with Le Moyne in the NEC preseason poll, and Sellers has spent the last six seasons rebuilding his alma mater’s program after replacing four starters from last year’s team. Over the last three seasons, he has guided CCSU to 39 NEC wins.
Syracuse still has seven more buy games left on the non-conference schedule, but this one was the last before a much tougher stretch. The Orange head to Indianapolis to face Indiana on Monday, then return to Madison Square Garden a week from Sunday to play St. John’s for the first time there since 2021.
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Syracuses backcourt rotation is already being tested before the season can really settle in. Guard Aiden Tobiason will miss the upcoming game against Central Connecticut State after suffering a hamstring strain in an exhibition, leaving the Orange to adjust without the junior transfer from Temple. He arrived with three years of eligibility remaining and was expected to be part of the group helping stabilize the perimeter.
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Malachi Nelson is trending in the right direction, but he remains doubtful, which keeps the quarterback picture from fully settling just yet. Clemson has its own injury issues to manage, with starters Elyjah Thurmon, Harris Sewell and Gideon Davidson ruled out and wide receiver Tyler Brown questionable, but Syracuses concern is more immediate on defense, where availability could shape how the Orange try to handle one of the ACCs tougher road environments. [Read more 🡒]