Syracuse men’s basketball barely escaped the Monmouth Hawks with a 78-73 victory on Tuesday at the JMA Wireless Dome, but the Orange win was in near-constant danger, threatened by a volley of missed free
throws.
Struggles at the charity stripe were constant throughout the contest, but they were particularly glaring in the final minutes of the second half.
With 2:48 remaining, William Kyle III was fouled after scoring a basket and stepped to the line with Syracuse holding a 10-point lead. The sub-40% free throw shooter drained the and-one for his first made free throw of the season, pushing the Orange lead to 11 and giving the impression that the game was all but wrapped up.
Until it wasn’t. With 1:20 left, JJ Starling air-balled his second free throw of the game, allowing Monmouth to remain within striking distance. A few timely baskets from the Hawks quickly cut the lead to three. Monmouth fouled Bryce Zephir, sending him to the line, where he missed both attempts and gave the Hawks a chance to tie the game.
While Monmouth was not able to capitalize on the opportunity, late free struggles took the wind out of the Orange sails and had the JMA Wireless Dome on edge.
To put Syracuse’s free throw woes into perspective, here’s a look at the final game tally:
- Syracuse was 19 of 33 (57.6%) from the free throw line
- In the second half, the number dropped to 10 of 21 (47.6%).
- Removing Donnie Freeman’s 12 of 14 performance, Syracuse only managed a combined 7 of 19 (36.8%)
- The bench was a measly 2 of 8 (25%), the pair of makes belonging to Kiyan Anthony, who led the pack going 2 of 5 (40%)
And the misses were not pretty. JJ Starling looked completely out of sync, each shot showcasing a noticeable hitch in his form.
Akir Souare and William Kyle III, both with a history of free throw struggles, have combined for just one made free throw in Syracuse’s first four games and their misses have not been close.
Kiyan Anthony has openly voiced his frustration over missed attempts, yet he still sits below 50% from the charity stripe.
Tuesday’s numbers were concerning and nearly cost the Orange the game. With the Players’ Era Invitational tournament coming up next week, free throw shooting will need to be a major focus in practice, as Syracuse cannot afford to spot the other teams, like No. 2 Houston, 14 points per game.
