Syracuse guards take advantage of height edge, pace Orange to win over Niagara (final score, recap) (2024)

Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse men’s basketball team is hosting Niagara at the JMA Wireless Dome today at 5 p.m.

The game will be not be televised, but it will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

See in-game team and individual stats here.

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

Syracuse finished its non-conference portion of its schedule with an 83-71 win over Niagara at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange navigated the early part of its schedule without suffering a bad loss, handling the worst team it will face this season.

Judah Mintz and Quadir Copeland both took advantage of substantial height edges to pace the Orange.

Mintz used his size to finish in the lane and near the rim, while Copeland balanced getting buckets with feeding Maliq Brown.

Mintz led the Orange with 18 points, while Copeland had 12 points and eight assists. Brown was the beneficiary of many of those passes and finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. He made all six of the shots he attempted.

Niagara was led by Luke Bumbalough’s 26 points.

Syracuse improved to 9-3, while Niagara fell to 3-8.

Plenty to work on for Syracuse, which wasn’t great in the half-court and was only plus-1 in rebounding against a mid-major, a deficiency that could loom large when the Orange returns to the court.

After a light lift against Niagara, Syracuse will face only conference opponents from here on out.

Syracuse’s next game will be Dec. 30 against Pittsburgh. The Panthers are one of the country’s top rebounding teams.

Second half

0:00: A bit of a sloppy finish with Niagara’s full-court press forcing a handful of turnovers, and the Purple Eagles unable to take advantage of them. Syracuse finishes with an 83-71 win over Niagara.

2:10: This one should be over. J.J. Starling hits a 3-pointer to make it 76-62. Niagara does answer with its own quick 3. But the Orange have the ball and an 11-point lead.

4:28: Copeland is just full of highlight passes tonight. This time he went over the top of the Niagara defense to set up a Maliq Brown dunk. He’s at 12 points and 6 assists for the night. Orange lead is 73-58. Brown is not up to 13 points and 8 rebounds. We’ll see if he gets his double-double.

5:07: Nice hustle back from Benny Williams on defense to make up for a Judah Mintz turnover, stealing the ball and erasing a likely layup by Niagara. Then, with another transition chance after a quick push, Mintz converts a layup. Syracuse lead is 69-55.

7:17: There’s the highlight play of the night for Syracuse as Quadir Copeland beats his defender and tosses a lob up to Benny Williams. Syracuse’s lead is 65-51. Niagara is gonna have to press to try to get back in this but that is not where it has an advantage. Desperate times for the Purple Eagles.

8:25: Interesting stretch for Kyle Cuffe. He picks up a block on what looked to me (and Greg Paulus) like a pretty obvious foul. Looked like he brought his arm down on the Niagara player. Then he knocks down a 3-pointer at the other end. Syracuse lead is 61-47.

11:13: Syracuse maintains its 57-43 lead to the under-12 timeout. If you’re looking for reason to worry, the Orange has a minimal rebounding edge against Niagara. Not much help from the forwards.

15:57: Well, that’s going to get pretty close to knowing it as Syracuse responds with a 7-0 run. Judah Mintz with a bucket and a nice pass to set up a Chris Bell 3-pointer.

17:45: Not over yet. Niagara gets the better start out of halftime and cuts the lead to 40-33. Imagine this will have Adrian Autry going to his bench, which has been responsible for 24 of SU’s 40 points. Not a ton of impact from Justin Taylor right now.

First half

16:13: Syracuse with a slightly slow start on offense but Niagara with an atrocious one, making just 1 of its first seven shots.

The Orange has a height advantage and is using it well on offense and defense. So far, this game is looking like it will be trouble free for the Orange, who lead 6-2.

15:08: Niagara hits a very difficult 3-pointer to cut it to 1 but Judah Mintz took advantage of that size edge, working his way to the free-throw line and converting a mid-range jumper and an and-1. That’s five early points for Mintz.

12:36: Niagara’s Luke Bumbalough has been hot early knocking down a pair of high-difficulty 3-pointers as part of an 8-point start. That’s kept it close at 12-10 but it’s hard to see that as a recipe for success for 40 minutes.

11:58: Well, maybe Bumbalough can keep it up. Another 3-pointer, although this one was off some very nice action and a fairly open look. He’s got a quick trigger and 11 points already. Niagara actually leads 13-12.

11:15: An early appearance from Benny Williams and an early impact as he knocks down a 3-pointer to put Syracuse back ahead.

9:21: A jazzy layup by Quadir Copeland gives Syracuse a 17-13 lead. Niagara responds by scoring the next four. Tied at 17.

8:48: Maliq Brown breaks the tie with a couple of free throws. Then Benny Williams adds 1 of 2. Williams barely missed making a poster with a fastbreak dunk. Forced the foul by attacking the rim hard. Now 20-17.

7:44: Quadir Copeland bullies his way to the rim and makes a leaner. Syracuse relying on its size to make it 24-17. Orange own a 12-4 lead on points in the paint. Its big guards are acting that way.

7:15: Another big-boy play by Copeland who now tied with Mintz to lead Syracuse with 7 points. He earns a Shaun Livingston comparison by Eric Devendorf on the ACC Network Extra broadcast. Syracuse’s lead is 28-20.

5:36: Copeland with a mid-range jumper really trying to earn those Livingston comparisons. Orange now has a very comfortable 32-20 lead.

3:11: Malik Brown makes his first 3-pointer of the season. That type of night. It’s all Syracuse at 35-23. The bench continues to set the tone for the Orange.

We’re getting a Mounir Hima appearance, his third of the season, as the Orange are rolling. Devendorf compares Hima to Baye Moussa Keita.

:13.2: Maybe not quite rolling. Bumbalough knocks down another 3-pointer and now has 17 points. He’s 5-for-7 on 3-pointers. Orange still leads 35-28 and should have the last possession here.

0.0: Terrible foul with 3.3 seconds left by Niagara as they knock down Judah Mintz taking a tough 3-pointer. He gives the Orange a double-digit halftime lead at 38-28. Bumbalough leads Niagara with 17 points. Syracuse with a more balanced output, led by Mintz (10 points) and Copeland (9 points).

Syracuse with a 20-6 lead in points in the paint. If they can cool off Bumbalough there shouldn’t be much of a problem in the second half.

Pregame

Syracuse is looking to win its fourth consecutive game under new coach Adrian Autry and continue a stretch of improved play.

The Orange enters the game at 8-3 (0-1 ACC). Niagara is 3-7 (0-2).

The game will be the final non-conference game for the Orange, while Niagara has one more against Buffalo.

According to Ken Pomeroy, the Purple Eagles are the worst team Syracuse will play this year by a substantial margin.

Niagara is coached by former Christian Brothers Academy star Greg Paulus, who famously went on to play point guard at Duke and then quarterback at Syracuse.

Paulus has coached the team for four seasons, compiling a record of 52-68 at a place that has been a difficult place to win. Niagara finished 16-15 last season, just its second winning record in the past 10 years.

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