SU Basketball: Syracuse vs. Holy Cross

Syracuse men's basketball cruises past Holy Cross for second win of season

Led by White, Lydon, SU knocks down 13 3-pointers in 90-49 victory at the Carrier Dome

Five different players scored at least 10 points for the Syracuse Orange as they cruised to a 90-46 victory over the Holy Cross Crusaders on Tuesday at the Carrier Dome. The game was SU’s first in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational.

The Orange (2-0) dominated in nearly every statistical category in its victory, from rebounds and assists, to points off turnovers and second chance points. Once the Orange took a 7-5 lead early in the first half, the game was never in doubt for Syracuse.

Photo: Gabriela Garcia

Syracuse was led by graduate transfer Andrew White III, who scored 19 points, dished out three assists and grabbed three rebounds in the victory.

“I’m still trying to work myself in the role that I’m playing this year and trying to mesh with everybody,” White said following the game.  “The coaches want me to come in and score.”

The former Nebraska guard improved on his 17 point performance in the season-opener versus Colgate on Friday, scoring 15 of his 19 points on 3-pointers. White drew rave reviews from his teammate, sophomore forward Tyler Lydon.

“He’s a huge piece to this team. He can do a lot of different things on the court,” said Lydon, who chipped in 17 points and six rebounds of his own. “He’s just a smart player and, obviously, he’s talented too.”

Through both halves, Syracuse’s offense was effective from the field. The Orange shot 57.9 percent overall, and were nearly as successful from beyond the arc, knocking down 13 of its 25 three-pointers for a rate of 52 percent.

“Threes add up quickly,” White said.

In comparison, Holy Cross only made 30.9 percent of its field goals and 28.1 percent of its 3-pointers. Guard Anthony Thompson was the high point man for the reigning Patriot League Tournament champions with 12 points, while no other Crusader scored more than eight.

John Gillon, Tyler Roberson, and Taurean Thompson also provided an offense spark for the Orange. Gillon—a graduate transfer from Colorado State—scored 15 points and was an assist shy of a double-double. Roberson nearly matched his 18-point output against Colgate, with 12 points and six rebounds. Thompson contributed 10 points and two rebounds.

“We have a lot of talent,” continued White. “I think by me hitting shots early, it’ll be able to help our point guards and our forwards.”

Despite the blowout victory, SU head coach Jim Boeheim said his team still has room to improve.

"We've got a lot of work to do,” he said. “Mistakes don't show in games like this but they're there.”

SU will return to action on Friday against Monmouth in its second game of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Carrier Dome. 

Post new comment

* Field must be completed for your comment to appear on The NewsHouse
The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.