Syracuse learns its defense travels in second-half blitz of Drexel: Final score, recap, photos

Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse basketball team takes on the Drexel Dragons at 3:30 p.m., Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

The game is available to stream on Peacock.

See in-game team and individual stats here.

Note: Refresh this page throughout Syracuse’s game vs. Drexel to see the latest updates

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Final: Syracuse 80, Drexel 50

Syracuse moved to 3-0 on the season and will likely head to Las Vegas in a couple of weeks to take on No. 1 Houston with an unblemished record.

If we learned anything Saturday afternoon in South Philadelphia, it’s that the Orange defense travels.

It’ll need it in Vegas.

After a sluggish first half in which Drexel outworked Syracuse on the glass, the Orange cranked the defensive pressure and coasted to a third-consecutive breezy win.

SU used a 26-6 run throughout much of the second half to put the game away. It pressed the ball, contested shots — some with emphatic rejection off the glass — and used its length and quickness to snuff out any hope from its opponent out of the Coastal Athletic Association.

With Carmelo Anthony sitting courtside, freshman guard Kiyan Anthony scored 12 of his game-high 18 points in the first half.

Walk-on Noah Lobdell got his first action of the season with 1:16 remaining in the game.

By then, the Orange had polished off another lopsided win.

More numbers from the second half, which saw the Orange outscore the Dragons, 43-18:

• Drexel shot 7-for-35 from the field, including 2-for-13 from 3.
• The Orange outrebounded the Dragons, 27-20 after getting worked on the glass, 19-9 in the first half.
• Syracuse had six blocks in the second half, including a sequence in which Donnie Freeman and Nate Kingz chased and swatted away a shot off the backboard.

A 26-6 scoring run puts this game away

Donnie Freeman emphatically rejected a Drexel layup against the backboard, then Kingz got in on the act with a similar block.

Drexel is 2-for-20 from the field this half, which tells the story of the game and likely a hint at what the coaches impressed upon the team at halftime.

Freshman guard Luke Fennell has gotten in the game for the first time this afternoon and drilled an uncontested 3 to help put SU on a 19-6 run through the first 10 minutes of the second half. He later was fouled on a 3-point attempt and sank all three from the line.

That run has been extended to 26-6 since halftime.

Syracuse 61, Drexel 38, with 7:21 remaining in the second half

Syracuse is turning up the heat defensively

Syracuse has built a double-digit lead in the second half behind a rejuvenated defense, particularly with its full-court press and, earlier, Freeman, whose extreme length can eliminate space and make dribble penetration difficult for the Dragon guards.

He looks like he wants to take over this game.

He launched a 3 just before the under-16 media timeout, then had a strong take to the basket and drew a two-shot foul after Kingz crashed the missed 3 to retain possession.

Syracuse has gone to its second line and continues to crank the pressure. Akir Souare is active, giving great effort to disrupt shots and save the ball from going out of bounds.

Sadiq White, with fresh legs after sitting for much of the first half, has provided a spark off the bench, too.

Syracuse 49, Drexel 36, with 13:58 remaining second half

Halftime: Syracuse 37, Drexel 32

Syracuse is getting tested in its first road game of the season.

The Dragons hold a 19-8 rebounding edge on the Orange, allowing them to stay within striking distance of slaying a high-major opponent.

Freshman guard Kiyan Anthony leads all scorers with 12; Donnie Freeman has nine, including a pair of 3s, but the sophomore forward has been shut out on the glass.

Forwards Sadiq White (foul trouble) and Tyler Betsey (lower-body injury) have been limited in the first half, which hasn’t helped the Orange cause on the glass.

Dragons are outworking Syracuse on the glass

There’s likely to be some talk at the half about the Orange’s effort on the glass.

The Dragons hold an 18-7 rebounding advantage, outworking the Orange to earn extra possessions and stay competitive.

Syracuse led by six before a lack of focus has kept the Dragons in it.

Kevon Vanderhorst got a wide-open slam after a transition D breakdown leaves an uncontested path to the basket. Then, Syracuse gave up an unmarked offensive board and easy put-back to trim its lead to 29-27.

Drexel got three looks just by outworking the Orange on the glass. Too many players just standing around.

Earlier, Anthony took it right into the chest of Vanderhorst to get into double figures in the first half before Freeman hits a 3 to extend Syracuse’s lead to 27-21, its largest of the afternoon.

Syracuse 31, Drexel 30, with 2:29 remaining first half

Betsey shaken up after collision with Kyle

Tyler Betsey hit the deck with 9:31 remaining after colliding with William Kyle. SU trainer Mike Mangano came out onto the court to check Betsey’s foot before Betsey went into the locker room for evaluation.

Betsey had just lined up a 3 before Nate Kingz hit a 3 in rhythm off the give from Naithan George to give the Orange a 19-17 lead.

Kingz then used a shot fake to duck under the defender and hit the close-range shot.

Those two were seeing some extended minutes after freshman forward Sadiq White picked up his second foul with 11:20 remaining in the first half.

Eli Beard has been leaving a mark on this game. He got a tear-drop runner to fall, then he beat Kyle off the dribble and got to the basket.

Drexel’s 5-foot-11, 160-pound guard from Big Sandy, Texas, was playing Division III basketball last season at Mary Hardin-Baylor. He was named a first-team All-American Southwest Conference selection after finishing second in the ASC with 22.3 points per game.

Syracuse 21, Drexel 19, with 7:28 remaining first half

Dragons start hot from 3

Kiyan Anthony got an early layup before committing an early foul and losing the handle out of bounds to take us into the first media timeout.

But the freshman responds out of the timeout with a nice, up-and-under finish in transition after the swipe by Donnie Freeman. Anthony then drained a 3 with a hand in his face.

Anthony has seven early points to pace the Orange, but Drexel has come out hot from 3, draining the first three looks from beyond the arc.

Drexel is a well-run program under Zach Spiker. The Dragons lost four players to transfer in the offseason who leveled up to a Power-Five league: Kobe MaGee (Florida State), Jason Drake (Indiana), Yame Butler (Butler) and Cole Hargrove (Providence).

Drexel 15, Syracuse 13, with 11:46 remaining first half

Carmelo, Edgecombe, Owens and McCord are in the building

Syracuse-Drexel should start on time after the opening game between Penn State and La Salle wrapped up before 3 p.m.

Carmelo Anthony and Philadelphia 76ers’ rookie VJ Edgecombe are sitting at midcourt inside Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia. Edgecombe was high school teammates with Kiyan Anthony at Long Island Lutheran.

Former Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord and basketball great Billy Owens are also in the building.

Anthony is expected to get his second-straight start with senior guard JJ Starling sidelined with an undisclosed injury to his right leg. Starling came out during warm-ups wearing warm-up sweats and glasses.

Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said Thursday afternoon Starling is expected to return to the lineup soon.

Drexel enters Saturday’s game with a 1-2 record, with losses to cross-town foe St. Joe’s and Colgate. The Dragons’ KenPom ranking is No. 250, which, to be clear, is not the same as the all-important NET ranking the NCAA will start putting out in December.

But, for the sake of a comparison, if Drexel’s NET ranking checks in where KenPom rates the Dragons, it would go into the books as a Quad 4 game. Not much of a needle-mover.

Drexel fell behind by 19 at halftime to Colgate on Tuesday night before outscoring the Raiders 53-41 in the second half.

Shane Blakeney led the Dragons with 24 points, four assists and two steals. Eli Beard added 24 points, and Victor Panov finished with 14 points.

Those three players combined for 14 of Drexel’s 15 made 3s.

The Dragons should put forth a more competitive effort than the Orange’s previous two overmatched opponents.