Gerry McNamara had already seen one part of his team he didn’t like.
Syracuse opened the season with a win over New Haven, but the finish left plenty to clean up. The Orange were outplayed in the second half, and McNamara made it clear afterward that the standard has to be higher.
“I’ve talked about our discipline as a group. We need to be a lot better on both sides of the ball,” McNamara said. “We have to be better than we were over the final 20 minutes of this game.”
On Thursday, Syracuse got a much cleaner response.
The Orange rolled past Central Connecticut State 102-49 in the JMA Wireless Dome to move to 2-0, using a fast start, a sharp shooting night and a deep bench to bury the Blue Devils before the game ever had a chance to become interesting. Mark Morano and Gavin Doty combined to shoot 7-of-12 from 3, Luke Wilson controlled the paint for 14 points, and Syracuse never let CCSU settle in.
McNamara went with the same starting five from the opener, with Morano again filling in for the injured Aiden Tobiason, who missed his second straight game. And just like Monday, Syracuse came out with immediate force.
The Orange led 4-0, then 10-5 at the first media timeout, with Morano opening the scoring on a layup and later drilling a 3 from the top of the key. After that, McNamara turned to his bench, and the second unit kept the pressure on. Ryan Moesch entered for Garwey Dual, and Amarri Monroe came in for Sadiq White Jr., who had just one make at that point after posting a double-double in the opener.
The subs didn’t slow things down at all. Syracuse pushed the lead to 20-11 eight minutes into the first half, and Moesch in particular looked like a steadying force.
He played 27 minutes to Dual’s 19 and finished with seven assists, showing the kind of playmaking he flashed in the exhibitions and in the opener. Moesch’s scoring still needs work - he had six points - but he kept the offense moving.
Defensively, Syracuse was in control from the start. CCSU had trouble finding clean looks, and the Orange forced the Blue Devils into rushed shots and mistakes.
Midway through the first half, CCSU was shooting 4-of-11. By halftime, those numbers had only slid further, with the Blue Devils at 8-of-27, or 29.6%.
Doty helped widen the gap with seven of Syracuse’s next nine points, including a right-wing 3 and a spin move into a layup. The Orange kept stretching the margin from there, moving ahead 30-13 and then 35-16.
With two minutes left before halftime, Syracuse pushed the lead to 20 for the first time. Morano worked through the defense for a mid-range floater, then Moesch found White at the rim for another basket. The Orange went into the break up 47-23.
The second half brought the kind of response McNamara was looking for after the opener. Doty opened with a wide-open 3, Wilson kept punishing the interior, and Syracuse quickly put the game out of reach. The Orange ripped off a 19-5 run, with Morano hitting two 3s from the same right-corner spot.
Morano finished with 16 points and turned toward the bench to celebrate after the second make. By then, Syracuse was in complete control, up 66-28 just more than seven minutes into the half, with CCSU having made only two baskets after the break.
From there, the Orange emptied deeper into the rotation and coasted home over the final 12 minutes, a useful sign with Indiana and St. John’s next on the schedule.
In Other News...
Syracuse Backcourt Depth Takes An Early Hit At The Worst Time
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.
The timing is less than ideal for a team still sorting out its depth and roles. With Tobiason sidelined, Syracuse will need other guards and wings to absorb the minutes and keep the offense moving against a matchup that now comes with a little more uncertainty than planned. For an early-season roster trying to build rhythm, even a short absence can ripple through the whole backcourt. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Has A Real Shot To Expose Clemsons Biggest Weakness
Syracuse heads into its matchup with Clemson coming off a win over SMU, and the timing could hardly be better for a program looking to make a statement. The Orange are set up to test a Tigers team that has not looked like its usual self on offense this season, while Syracuse has reasons to feel better about its own chances after showing progress on both sides of the ball.
The key for Syracuse is straightforward: pressure Clemsons quarterback and keep building on the more confident play it has gotten under center. If the Orange can turn that into another strong home performance, they would not only put Clemsons offensive issues under a brighter spotlight, but also have a chance to do something Syracuse has not done against the Tigers before - beat them in back-to-back meetings. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Heads Into Clemson With One Major Defensive Concern
Syracuse heads into its matchup at Clemson carrying a familiar late-week uncertainty, with several key players sitting on the injury report as the Orange try to firm up both sides of the ball before a difficult road test. Quarterback Steve Angeli, defensive pieces Kahlil Stewart and Tunmise Adeleye, and a handful of others are all listed as questionable or probable, leaving the Orange with some important decisions to monitor right up to kickoff.
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 🡒]