SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In a riveting Wednesday night showdown, the Syracuse Men’s Basketball team hosted the Canisius Golden Griffins for their second game. The dynamic duo of star guard Judah Mintz, who showcased his scoring prowess with a career-high 26 points, and sophomore guard JJ Starling, contributing 17 points, led the team to a final of 89-77.
Syracuse took control early, jumping to a 14-7 lead in the first 5 minutes with plays from Chris Bell and Naheem McLeod. Canisius clawed back, trimming the 7-point gap to just two with Bryce Okpoh and Tre Dinkins stepping up. Despite Canisius keeping it tight, a few key 3-pointers by Justin Taylor, Mintz, and Kyle Cuffe Jr., secured Syracuse’s lead at 41-32 as they headed into the second half.
The second half turned into a showcase for Starling and Mintz, with Starling’s four early buckets setting the tone for the Cuse’s scoring. Mintz took the spotlight, scoring 12 consecutive points in just two minutes, expanding the lead to 64-48.
In his sophomore year, JJ Starling, who made the move from Notre Dame, is settling in comfortably with his new team.
“It’s been really smooth, it wasn’t much of a hard transition,” said Starling. These guys, the returners, they made me fit right in, right away and I know I was going to be able to play a big role in this team and I knew I could buy into the culture, so it was an easy fit.”
Canisius refused to fade away, with Tre Dinkins narrowing the lead to 9 with a crucial 3-points. However, the relentless performance from Cuse provided decisive. Mintz, scoring 19 of his 26 points in the second half, combined with Starling’s 9 points after the break, ultimately led the Cuse to a 12-point victory.
Coach Autry has secured two wins under his belt, and he’s particularly impressed with the team’s knack for finishing games strong, despite both of them being closely contested.
“Just staying with it, ’cause I thought both games got cut close. And just us getting together and building it back up and coming out with the win,” said Autry. I just think that type of fight, we could’ve easily been in a 1-point game in any of these games. We did a good job of locking in and building that lead back up and coming up with the win.”
Next in line for the Orange is a home game scheduled for next Tuesday, November 14th, at the JMA Wireless Dome. The matchup is set against the Colgate Raiders and is slated to tip off at 7 PM.