Syracuse shook off a slow start and got a big boost from its reserves in a convincing 102-85 win over visiting Albany on Tuesday night.
Freshman reserve Donnie Freeman came off the bench to lead Syracuse (5-4) with a career-high 24 points, going 4-for-4 from 3-point range. The Orange bench outscored the Great Danes’ reserves 45-26. Syracuse also outrebounded Albany 38-27.
Chris Bell contributed 18 points and Jyare Davis had 15 for the Orange. Jaquan Carlos logged 12 points and a game-high 12 assists.
Syracuse center Eddie Lampkin Jr. had eight boards and five assists, including a sweet behind-the-back pass for a dunk by Davis in the second half.
Amar’e Marshall led five Albany players in double figures with 18 points. DeMarr Langford Jr. scored 13, Justin Neely had 12 and Kheni Briggs and Amir Lindsey put up 11 points apiece.
The Great Danes (6-5) took it to Syracuse early, building a quick 9-4 lead after Briggs banked in a 3-pointer and then scored on a short jumper. The rest of the first half was dominated by Syracuse, which used its size to control the boards and displayed superior interior passing.
Syracuse went on a game-changing 8-0 run midway through the first half capped by a reverse layup by Elijah Moore to go up 22-14. Nine different Orange players scored before halftime, and the hosts owned a 47-34 advantage at the break.
The lead grew to 66-42 with 12:21 left on two free throws by Carlos. Albany rallied and cut the deficit to as little as 11 but got no closer.
Orange guard J.J. Starling missed his third straight game with a broken left hand suffered in practice last Monday. Starling was the Orange’s leading scorer with 19 points a game. He is expected to miss the next three to five weeks.
The result snapped a two-game losing streak for Syracuse, while Albany fell for the fourth time in five games.
Syracuse improved to 9-0 all-time against Albany. It was the schools’ first meeting since 2011.
–Field Level Media
