Old Dominion 68, Syracuse 62: Orange fumble one away at home

The 25th-ranked Syracuse Orange were upset by the Old Dominion Monarchs 68-62 in the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon. Old Dominion overcame a ten-point halftime deficit to beat the Orange and extend its winning streak to six games and snap Syracuse’s five game win streak.

Syracuse came out of the gates lethargic on both ends of the floor. The team struggled to move the ball on the offensive end as it seemingly went deep into the shot clock on every possession. Syracuse’s only points came on three three-pointers in the first seven minutes of the game.

Meanwhile, Old Dominion had struggles of its own on the offensive end as it had trouble finding good looks. Senior guard BJ Stith, who averages 18 points per game and is the Monarchs’ best three point shooter, failed to get on the scoreboard in the first half.

Still, ODU was able to keep the game close on the back of some hot shooting: the team shot 4-8 from three through the first 12 minutes of the first half.

ODU made a layup to cut a Syracuse lead to one with 4:02 remaining in the first half before a Tyus Battle-led a run lifted the Orange. Syracuse closed the half on a 13-2 run in which Battle scored eight points. The Orange were able to take a ten point lead into the half.

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As BJ Stith went, so did Old Dominion. The Monarchs were able to chip away at Syracuse’s lead in the second half. Stith heated up in the second half as he poured in 18 points and led the Monarch charge. ODU clawed its way back into the game before knotting the score at 41 a piece with 10:19 remaining on a Marquis Godwin three pointer.

Syracuse and Old Dominion traded baskets until a Paschal Chukwu foul on a made three pointer put BJ Stith at the line. Stith knocked down all three free throws to give Old Dominion the lead 54-53 — a lead the team would not surrender.

Oshae Brissett and Tyus Battle kept the game tight with two three pointers, but the Syracuse offense struggled to find good looks down the stretch which crushed any hope of a comeback.

The loss moves Syracuse to 7-3 on the season and snapped the Orange’s undefeated record at home this season.

Video recap here.

Key Stats:

Tyus Battle led Syracuse with 23 points on 5-14 shooting. Elijah Hughes scored 15 of his own and collected four rebounds. Frank Howard totaled nine points with six assists and three turnovers.

Syracuse was out-rebounded by Old Dominion 38-33. The Monarchs came down with 10 offensive rebounds.

Next Up

Syracuse returns home with a big opportunity to take down undefeated Buffalo on Tuesday. That game tips from the Carrier Dome at 8 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN2.