INDIANAPOLIS, IN — It was a game filled with changing leads and plenty of momentum-swinging plays, but in the end, the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team couldn’t get all the way to the finish line in the Hoosier State. Syracuse (2-1) lost to the Indiana Hoosiers (3-0) Monday night 83-80 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Syracuse entered the second half with a small lead, but Indiana rallied behind its scoring backcourt of Darren Harris, Burton,Markus, and Jaeden Mustaf. Syracuse’s bench, led by its own
backcourt of Ryan Moesch and Kiyan Anthony, helped keep the Orange competitive with tough shot making, but it ultimately wasn’t enough.
Moesch finished with a team-high 19 points and six assists. He and Anthony (16 points and three assists) combined for 35, while Sadiq White Jr. (13 points) and Luke Wilson (11 points) also reached double figures.
For Indiana, Burton and Harris each had 20, while Mustaf scored 18. The trio combined for 58 of the Hoosiers’ 83 points.
Syracuse drew first blood in the contest. After neither team scored on their first possession, Morano connected on a jumper from the foul line to get the Orange on the board. White soon after drove inside and scored. It took nearly three minutes for the Hoosiers to get their first points, and they did so off a mid-range look from Burton. Morano connected on a three to give Syracuse an early 8-2 lead. ‘Cuse led 8-7 at the first media timeout.
Some solid defense out of the gate (Indiana started 5/15 from the field) and the three-ball kept the Orange ahead as the midway point of the first half arrived. Off the bench, Moesch knocked one down, then Anthony found Monroe in the corner for a three of his own. Shortly after, Siby slammed the ball down off a nice pass from Moesch, giving the Orange an 18-11 lead.
The Orange bench extended the lead to 18-11, but in a flash, it quickly gave it up.
A pair of baskets from Mustaf plus a steal and score Burton were part of a 9-0 Indiana run that allowed t to take its first lead of the game. Anthony ended that with an and-one three from the corner.
As the first half continued, both offenses waxed and waned. Indiana at one point had a stretch of six makes in eight tries thanks to Harris and Mustaf. Syracuse before the last media timeout of the half connected on three straight shots, including another nice score by White.
Then, neither team could do anything offense for a three-minute stretch until Moesch found White Jr. open in the corner for three to put Syracuse ahead 38-34 heading into the locker room.
White Jr. led the Orange with nine points on 4/5 shooting in the first half, while Anthony had six and Wilson and Morano had five each. Burton and Mustaf combined for 18, while Harris chipped in six.
When the second half arrived, Syracuse got anything but an ideal start.
Wilson picked up his third foul just seconds into the period. The team also picked up three fouls in 63 seconds. Harris went on a personal 8-0 that included a made three, a foul on another three, and a steal and score off a pass by Doty. That forced a quick timeout by GMac with the Orange now down four (42-38).
A pair of baskets from Anthony, including a deep three with the shot clock winding down, kept the Orange right behind the Hoosiers. Down four, Moesch then fired and rattled in a late shot clock triple of his own, followed soon after by a driving layup over Yigitoglu plus the foul.
Moesch continued to drive the offense during the middle of the half. After Harris drilled a three coming off a screen, it was Moesch again who responded. He first threw a nice pass for Wilson to lay the ball in, then knocked down a triple that finally put Syracuse back ahead (61-59) and forced a Hoosiers timeout.
Several trips to the free throw line allowed Anthony to bump the Orange lead to as much as five, but then, here came the Hoosiers.
Threes from the top of the key by Burton and Mustaf on back-to-back possessions quickly erased the Orange lead. Syracuse trailed 69-68 heading into the final media timeout.
Then, both sides continue to trade blows. A Wilson post score got ‘Cuse back ahead, but Burton responded with a corner three with two and a half to go (72-70 IU). Wilson made another, while Doty grabbed an offensive rebound and made a tough reverse layup to counter Indiana’s latest basket.
The Hoosiers eventually pulled ahead. Anthony fouled Harris on a three, and he would the trio of freebies. Down three and with the clock down to under a minute left, Wilson grabbed the fall after a tough shot by Moesch, but his follow up came up just short, off the rim, and into the hands of Indiana. After some late-game fouling and other shenanigans, Syracuse had the ball with under five seconds left, but Anthony’s attempt to send the game into overtime missed wide. Ball game.
Up next for the Orange is arguably their toughest test of the entire non-con schedule. Syracuse will head back to the Empire State on Sunday night to face No. 13 St. John’s under the lights of Madison Square Garden.
