Orange Cruise Past Mercyhurst

Wednesday, December 17

Syracuse, N.Y.

7:00 PM

Syracuse University

7-4,0-0ACC

Mercyhurst

4-8,0-0NEC

Mercyhurst

Syracuse

12/17/2025 9:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Adrian Autry Press Conference

Fueled by a balanced offensive attack featuring five double-digit scorers, Syracuse (7-4) led from start to finish in a 76-62 victory over Mercyhurst (4-8) Wednesday evening at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Senior William Kyle III notched his third double-double of the season, going for 15 points while snaring 10 rebounds, and added five blocks on the defensive end.

Senior J.J. Starling matched Kyle III with a team-high 15 points, marking the second consecutive game he has led the Orange in scoring. Freshmen Sadiq White Jr. and Kiyan Anthony scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, while junior Naithan George contributed 12 to round out the double-digit scorers.

Syracuse held the Lakers to 25-of-62 (.316) shooting from the floor, just the third time Mercyhurst has shot below .400 this season. Jake Lemelman was a bright spot for the Lakers, scoring a game-high 23 points.

How the Game Was Decided
The Orange dominated from start to finish, never trailing in the wire-to-wire victory. A blistering 11-0 run in less than four minutes during the first half broke the game open and put the Lakers away for good.

With 12:35 remaining in the opening half and Syracuse owning a 17-14 advantage, Kyle III sparked the 11-point surge with consecutive short-range jumpers. Anthony continued the run, draining a mid-range shot before converting a layup through contact. George punctuated the decisive run with a 3-pointer, ballooning the Orange lead to 28-14.

The Orange held the Lakers scoreless during the spurt, as Mercyhurst went 0-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from beyond the arc. The Lakers would not threaten again, never drawing closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Starting Strong
The Syracuse offense came out firing, shooting 6-of-8 (.750) in the opening five minutes. For the second consecutive contest, Starling was red-hot in the opening phases, going 4-of-4 (1.000) to start, including knocking down a 3-point shot to lead the way with 10 points. George poured in five points, scoring a jumper before knocking down three free throws in that same period. The quick start provided the Orange with a 17-10 lead early. The Lakers chipped away with a couple of buckets to pull within three before Syracuse went on its 11-0 run.

The Orange took a 39-23 lead into the break. As a collective, Syracuse shot 14-of-33 (.424) from the field and added four makes from beyond the arc in the first half. Starling led all scorers with 13 points in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Meanwhile, the Lakers knocked down just 10-of-31 (.323) from the field to start, allowing the Orange to run out to the commanding lead.

Finishing the Job
The Orange saw seven different players find their way into the scoring column in the second half to maintain a comfortable lead. Altogether, the Orange shot 6-of-28 (.571) in the second half to keep the Lakers at bay.

White Jr was the team's leading scorer in the second half, scoring 10 points on 5-of-6 (.833) shooting in the frame. His classmate, Anthony, chipped in five points, including a conventional three-point play.

Kyle III was dominant on both ends of the floor in the second half, recording nine points to go with four blocks. He threw down a pair of dunks down the stretch too, electrifying the home crowd.

Notes and Highlights

White Jr. set a new career-best in offensive rebounds with six, grabbing them all in the first half. He tied his career-high in total boards with nine.
Starling recorded his eighth consecutive game with double-digit points.
George led the team in assists for the ninth time this season, recording four against Mercyhurst.
Anthony scored in double digits for the sixth time this season.
Syracuse outrebounded Mercyhurst, 39-32.
Kyle III has recorded four blocks or more in four consecutive contests, adding five on Wednesday against the Lakers.
George was a perfect 5-of-5 (1.000) from the charity stripe, his most made free throws in a game this season.
The Orange scored 46 points in the paint on Wednesday evening.
Syracuse knocked down 12-of-16 (.750) shots from the free-throw line, its best percentage from the charity stripe this season.

Up Next
The Orange are back in the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday, December 20 for a matchup against the Northeastern Huskies. The contest is set to tip off at 4 p.m. and air on ACC Network Extra.

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

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow the team on X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (cuse_mbb).