The shooters were hot in Wednesday's preseason finale
Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images
SYRACUSE, N.Y - As he released the ball from his fingertips, the JMA Wireless Dome let out a collective gasp. Everybody knows that Eddie Lampkin is a wild card, but people didn’t expect a graceful rattle around the rim on a three-point attempt from the corner from the big fella.
Lampkin’s triple, which came off a blistering crosscourt fastball from Donnie Freeman, put the Syracuse Orange ahead by 18 with about three and a half minutes to play in the first half. It was the seventh consecutive point for SU on a run that would eventually extend out to 16-0, building up a 27-point lead. Syracuse rode this momentum after a slow start to a blistering 96-61 victory over Slippery Rock in the final tune-up before the training wheels come off on Monday.
The Orange offense relied heavily on the three-point shot in the early going, allowing The Rock to stay in the game despite shooting struggles. Starting a small lineup with Jyare Davis and Freeman as the frontcourt, SU couldn’t enter the lane and was confined to quickly passing the ball around the perimeter, looking for the open shot. While shots were falling from deep, Chris Bell and Elijah Moore each drained two, and JJ Starling had one all within the first ten minutes of the game, but Syracuse couldn’t unlock the offense until Lampkin checked in for the first time.
When Freeman picked up his second foul at the 13:45 mark, Naheem McLeod was the first man off the bench, and he struggled to find his footing. He missed a few rebounds as well as a layup before grabbing a pass above the defense for a slam dunk with ten minutes to play in the half. He checked out of the game with the margin at six.
As soon as Lampkin entered, the offense looked much cleaner, even if it took a few possessions to score points. The Colorado transfer went to work in the low post for a hook shot, and Bell drained a triple as Syracuse extended its lead out to 14.
Then, SU ran a beautiful double action and Bell found a cutting Starling for a layup. That was quickly followed up by Freeman free throws and the aforementioned Lampkin trey, as the Orange built up the lead.
All the while, Slippery Rock continued to struggle from the field, shooting just 8-for-34 in the opening frame, including 1-for-15 from three.
Lampkin only played five minutes all night, but Syracuse was a plus-12 in that time, and it sparked the energy for the rest of the game.
With the lead out to 24, Davis drained a three, and then Bell restored the 27-point edge at the halftime buzzer with a corner three coming off a baseline drive by Moore.
It was more of the same in the second half, with Davis, Bell, and Starling leading off with three triples to bring the lead up to 38.
Bell finished the night with 17 points in just 16 minutes, draining five of his eight three-pointers. Over the two exhibitions, Bell made nine threes at a 56% clip, picking up right where he left off at the end of last season.
Those numbers led the way, but McLeod had a good second half, settling down in the paint and finishing the night with nine points and seven rebounds. Davis also bounced back from a rough first exhibition, scoring 10 points and draining two threes.
Syracuse takes the floor again on Monday for a crosstown battle with Le Moyne, who defeated Division II Mansfield 116-67 tonight, for the first game of the regular season.
