Not the starting 5 we all expected
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The new look Syracuse Orange were exactly that in their first exhibition against Clarion on Saturday. A new look.
Adrian Autry trotted out a starting lineup with four new players, and they started the Orange out strong. Syracuse’s offense burst out with 15 points in the first five minutes, and rode the wave to a 101-73 victory inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
On SU’s second possession, Hofstra transfer point guard Jaquan Carlos drove from the corner to the block, and fed Serbian freshman Petar Majstorovic, a surprise starter, for a slam dunk. Majstorovic had an extremely active first few minutes, winning the tip for Syracuse, then missing a three-pointer from the right wing on the first possession. He then forced a held ball on his first defensive trip, before sending a Golden Eagle to the line on the reset. He finished the afternoon with eight points in 14 minutes
Even as Carlos dished out assist after assist in the early going, it was Colorado transfer Eddie Lampkin initiating the SU offense from the top of the key. In the second minute of the game, he ran a dribble-handoff pick-and-roll with Georgia State transfer Lucas Taylor, who found him on the roll for a reverse slam. On the next possession, JJ Starling came off of weave action, receiving a screen from Lampkin and dribbling into a mid-range jumper to put the Orange ahead 6-2.
Carlos swiped a few steals, and dropped dimes to Taylor and later, freshman Donnie Freeman for transition slams. He finished the first half with six assists, all coming before the seven points he scored on a few pull-up jumpers and an and-one layup off a beautiful high-post delivery from Lampkin late in the half.
Expected starters Freeman and Chris Bell came off the bench early in the first half and contributed to the scoring as Syracuse jumped in front 30-7 within ten minutes.
The Orange went to a few smaller lineups with Freeman and Delaware transfer Jyare Davis in the middle of the first half, and the offense looked clunkier. Clarion held SU scoreless for nearly four minutes, cutting the lead to 14 before Carlos’ flurry began. Bell added his second triple off a feed from Lampkin, and freshman Elijah Moore drained one of his own from the corner.
Syracuse led by 18 at halftime before opening up the second half with two Starling triples and two Majstorovic buckets at the rim. Starling and Bell were on point from deep, shooting 7-for-13 as a pair, but the rest of the team struggled to the tune of 5-for-19. SU’s returning starters led the scoring charge for most of the night, with 17 for Starling and 16 for Bell.
After the second media timeout of the second half, Autry inserted Naheem McLeod for the first time, and he made a layup after SU’s guards broke the Clarion press.
The Orange continued to build their lead in the second half, with Davis getting on the board, and Carlos pushing the ball down the floor. Syracuse’s ball movement stood out, dishing out 27 assists with just six turnovers, led by Carlos, who finished with a 14-point, 10-assist, double-double.
Lampkin played just 5 minutes in the second half, finishing with 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in his Orange debut, while Freeman put up 16 points in his.
Cam Kearney led Clarion with 22 points, while Jeremy Thomas II added 17 on eight-for-nine shooting.
Syracuse takes on another Pittsburgh area Division II program, Slippery Rock, in its second and final tune-up before the season starts a week from Monday against city foe Le Moyne.
