Syracuse (6-6, 0-1) wrapped up its 11 non-conference games on the 2024-25 schedule with a 75-63 victory over Patriot League member Bucknell (4-9) Saturday afternoon in the Dome.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Contributions off the bench stand out
On an afternoon in which both freshman starting guard Elijah Moore (0-for-5 shooting in 16 minutes) and forward Chris Bell (four points) struggled, SU received a significant lift from reserves Kyle Cuffe, Petar Majstorovic, and Lucas Taylor to pick-up the scoring slack, and snap a two game losing streak.
All three players finished with nine points, but in contrasting fashion. Taylor hit three big three's in the first half to help the 'Cuse lead by 12 at halftime, while Majstorovic showed versatility in both halves scoring inside and hitting a trey. Cuffe was a sparkplug when he entered the game and pesky, grabbing three boards and two steals in his 25 minutes.
Big Eddie makes his mark
Both Eddie Lampkin (3rd time) and Donnie Freeman (5th time) finished with double-doubles in scoring and rebounding.
Lampkin, in particular, relished his individual battle with Bison big man Noah Williamson finishing with a team-high 18 points and 11 boards, while Williamson worked hard for his 12 points and eight rebounds.
Although SU was in control most of the game, Bucknell did cut the lead to six midway through the second half, whenever the Orange needed a momentum basket the ball found its way inside to Lampkin. The grad student had the shooting touch, finishing 7-for-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from the foul line.
The 19 game ACC gauntlet begins in earnest
After sporting a 6-6 overall record and 0-1 in the ACC after the first eight weeks of the season, it's all conference play the rest of the way beginning Tuesday afternoon in the Dome against Wake Forest (2:00 p.m. ET/ ESPN2).
If non-conference play is any indication, SU projects as a .500 team in league contests, and will no doubt have to get consistent production from its top eight players, especially three point shooting and rebounding, cutting down turnovers, tightening up its perimeter defense, and speed up games in transition, to make its mark.
Quite a challenge for Coach Autry and staff to follow up on last year's 20-12 finish.
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