Syracuse wasted no time making its point Monday night.
In the first game of the Gerry McNamara era, the Orange stormed out to an 18-0 lead and never let New Haven breathe in a 53-28 season-opening win at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Gavin Doty set the tone right away, drilling a three on Syracuse’s first possession after Sadiq White grabbed an offensive rebound. Doty added a basket in the paint, and Mark Morano followed with back-to-back triples as the Orange’s defense smothered the Chargers from the jump. New Haven didn’t get on the board until Moussa Camara scored in the lane with 12:12 left in the first half.
Syracuse’s early defense was as sharp as anything else on display. The Orange held New Haven without a field goal for nearly eight minutes to start the night, forced shot clock violations, and piled up three blocks in the opening stretch. White had two of them and already had three rebounds before the first media timeout.
Doty finished the half with 10 points and seven rebounds, and his impact went well beyond the scoring column. He made hustle plays throughout the opening 20 minutes and knocked down the season-opening triple on Syracuse’s first possession. Kiyan Anthony also gave the Orange a lift off the bench, scoring nine first-half points.
White, who had been criticized for his rebounding during the exhibitions, answered with eight boards in the first half alone. Syracuse led the glass battle 27-18 at halftime.
The Orange did not shoot especially well in the opening half, finishing at 37% from the field, and McNamara said he wanted cleaner shot selection.
“We can’t keep going these stretches where we take ill-advised shots,” Syracuse head coach Gerry McNamara said in a halftime interview with the ACCNX broadcast.
New Haven did find a little rhythm after the rough start. The Chargers scored 17 points over one 10-minute stretch after opening 0-for-9 from the field, with Faquir Mosley hitting a three and Camara scoring inside. But Syracuse kept answering enough to stay in control, and a late push helped the Orange take a 39-17 lead into halftime.
The second half opened with more of the same. Gavin Doty pushed his total to 14 points, and White showed more force going to the rim, driving baseline from the corner for a two-handed slam before drawing a foul on his next attack. Syracuse also kept the turnovers under control, with only three through the game’s early stages.
Teshaun Steele connected on his first three of the night for New Haven, but Mark Morano answered with his third triple for Syracuse as the Orange doubled up the Chargers at the first media timeout of the second half.
Kiyan Anthony later added a strong drive and finish in the paint, giving him a double-digit scoring night to start his sophomore season. Syracuse’s lead continued to grow, and the Orange were in firm control well before the final minutes.
Morano and Doty helped carry the scoring load early, White made his presence felt on the boards and around the rim, and Syracuse opened the season with exactly the kind of start it wanted inside the Dome.
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