Syracuse to Host Pace in Final Exhibition Game

Game Details: Wednesday, October 29, Syracuse, N.Y., 7:00 p.m.
Live Stream: ACC Network Extra
Live Coverage: Stats
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Syracuse is set to play its final exhibition game of the year, this time at the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday, October 29. The Orange will clash with NCAA Division II opponent Pace, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. The game will stream on ACC Network Extra, providing Orange fans a final look at the roster before the regular season begins.

BROUGHT IT IN BUFFALO
Syracuse returns home following its first exhibition at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, where the Orange defeated the Bulls 76-66. Transfer Tyler Betsey led Syracuse with 14 points while shooting three-for-three from beyond the arc, while junior guard Naithan George distributed six assists to pace the offense.

Freshman Kiyan Anthony scored 10 points in his Orange debut off the bench. Transfer center William Kyle III added 10 points of his own, and sophomore forward Donnie Freeman reached double figures as nine different players scored for Syracuse.

The Orange shot 48.1 percent from the field and knocked down nine three-pointers, with six different players making shots from beyond the arc. Syracuse held Buffalo to 42 percent shooting while forcing 11 turnovers in the wire-to-wire victory.

SYRACUSE'S SEASON OUTLOOK
Head coach Adrian Autry enters his third season leading the Orange program and brings back the core of last year's lineup in sophomore forward Donnie Freeman and senior guard J.J. Starling.

Starling returns after averaging 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game last season. The 6-foot-4 guard reached 1,000 career points and earned Preseason All-ACC Second Team honors. Freeman averaged 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a freshman while shooting 50.4 percent from the field in 14 appearances before missing the rest of his rookie year to injury.

Junior guard Naithan George transferred from Georgia Tech, where he led the ACC with 6.5 assists per game while averaging 12.3 points per game. Sophomore forward Tyler Betsey comes from Cincinnati, where he averaged 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game as a freshman.

Senior center William Kyle III joined from UCLA, where he averaged 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game last season. The 6-foot-9 center from Bellevue, Nebraska, previously spent two seasons at South Dakota State, where he earned Summit League Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2023-24 after averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game

The freshman class features a number of highly touted recruits including Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White Jr. International freshmen include Luke Fennell, a combo guard from Australia, and Tiefing Diawara, a 7-foot center from Mali.

SCOUTING PACE
Pace enters the season under head coach Matt Healing, who begins his ninth year with the Setters. Healing led Pace to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and guided the team to the Northeast-10 Conference championship game in 2024-25.

The Setters finished 24-8 overall last season with a 14-6 mark in Northeast-10 Conference play. Pace advanced to the conference championship game before falling to Southern New Hampshire 72-71 in overtime. The Setters earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Division II East Regional but fell to St. Thomas Aquinas 79-72 in the first round.

Wednesday's contest marks Pace's first game of the 2025-26 season.

TICKETS
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets

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Players Mentioned

Kiyan Anthony

Tyler Betsey

Tiefing Diawara

Luke Fennell

Donnie Freeman

Naithan George

William Kyle III

J.J. Starling

Syracuse University Athletics