Syracuse’s unbeaten start came to an end Tuesday night, and it ended in a gut punch. Indiana slipped past the Orange 83-80, handing Gerry McNamara his first loss as Syracuse’s head coach in a game that stayed tight almost from start to finish.
The Orange burst out fast, hitting 4 of their first 6 shots and getting an early spark from Kiyan Anthony, who buried a 4-point play. That push helped Syracuse build a 19-12 lead, but the game turned when the Orange gave Indiana extra chances. A pair of turnovers and second-chance opportunities fueled a 7-0 Hoosiers run, and the momentum swung hard.
Even after that, Syracuse kept hanging around. Luke Wilson did a lot of the damage inside, finishing through contact and keeping the Orange within striking distance.
But the frontcourt picture got shaky as the game went on. Wilson picked up his third foul just 11 seconds into the second half, and star shooter Mark Morano left limping after dealing with a lower leg injury before the game.
He played only eight minutes.
That forced Syracuse to lean deeper into its bench, and the reserves answered. Ryan Moesch and Kiyan Anthony carried a huge load, and the Orange’s second unit produced 40 of the team’s 80 points. Moesch led Syracuse with 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting, while Anthony added 16 points on 4-for-9 shooting.
Moesch especially came alive after halftime. He finished at the rim on a lob from Wilson, converted an and one, and knocked down multiple corner threes. Anthony did plenty of his work in the first half, scoring through contact and drilling a corner three plus the foul.
Syracuse still had a chance to steal it late. The teams were tied at 74 with a minute left, and Indiana then drew a foul on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws. Syracuse couldn’t answer on the other end, and the Orange were still down three with 12 seconds left.
Then came one last scramble. After Indiana made two free throws following a Syracuse foul, Sadiq White hit a floater, and an Indiana offensive foul gave Syracuse one final shot to force overtime. Anthony fired a deep three from the wing, but it never touched the rim, and Indiana walked away with the 83-80 win.
There’s no sugarcoating the result, but Syracuse was also playing a high-major opponent in what was basically a road environment without several key pieces. Aiden Tobiason has now missed two preseason games and three regular-season games while recovering from a hamstring injury, and Morano was limited by injury after the early second-half setback.
Still, this is the kind of loss that could matter down the line. Syracuse’s path to an at-large NCAA tournament bid is going to be narrow, and a Quadrant 1 game like this may end up being the sort of résumé piece the Orange need in March.
Gavin Doty had a rough night trying to find his shot. The Siena transfer air-balled a 3-pointer, finished the first half with just one point on 0-for-3 shooting, and later turned the ball over early in the second half, leading to an uncontested Indiana dunk. He ended up with five points on 2-for-7 shooting.
Doty entered the season with expectations that he could grow into one of Syracuse’s main scoring options, but he hasn’t put that together consistently yet. Moesch, meanwhile, got 26 minutes to Doty’s 28 and made the most of his opportunity.
Syracuse now turns quickly to a trip to Madison Square Garden, where it will face No. 13 St.
John’s on Sunday, November 15, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. EST.
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