Autry praises bench players in SU’s 15-point win over UAlbany
Autry praises bench in SU win over UAlbany
With a strong bench effort, Syracuse snaps a three-point drought and records their largest win of the season.
For the first time this season, Donnie Freemen was not in the starting lineup for Syracuse. After the game, Coach Adrian Autry revealed that the freshman forward was dealing with an illness and was a game-time decision. In just 23 minutes of action, Freemen had the best game of his season, scoring 23 points and leading his team to a 102-85 victory over UAlbany.
Including Tuesday’s performance, Freemen has now notched 20 points in three of SU’s last four contests.
“It starts with the guys around me and the staff around me. They’re trusting me, and they’re believing in me,” Freeman said.
With the game tied at 12 in the first half, SU found the spark they needed off the bench from center Petar Majstorovic. After subbing in early in the first half, the freshman center led the Cuse on a 20-7 run. This included an incredible steal and assist, which led to an easy dunk for Donnie Freemen.
Taking over 💪
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) December 11, 2024
20+ points in 3 of the last 4 for @DonavanFreeman1 pic.twitter.com/fYpCTgEOkO
Majstorovic finished tied for second on the team in plus/minus with a +16 mark. He also scored a career-high in points, with six. Playing time this season has not been consistent for the Freshman from France. In Syracuse’s last game against Notre Dame, Majstorovic only logged one minute.
“I just work every day the same way. Every day, getting the weight room, every day getting the workout, the practices, the recovery,” Majstorovic said after the game. “I’m going to be ready to do my best on the court, even if it’s for a minute or 20 minutes.”
In addition to Freemen and Majstorovic, reserve guard Kyle Cuffe had a standout performance. Cuffe has played sparingly this season; in fact, he has only recorded a total of 22 minutes this season. Yet against Albany, Cuffe received 12 minutes of playing time and took full advantage.
The redshirt junior contributed 10 points, including the Orange’s first two three-pointers of the game. Normally, this wouldn’t be especially important, but Cuffe’s shooting ended a 52-minute three-point field goal drought, Syracuse’s longest since the 2014-15 season.
“I thought Kyle gave us a big lift today,” Orange Head Coach Adrian Autry said in his postgame press conference. “You know, every time Kyle’s come in, he’s given us some type of spark.”
Even with the 15-point win being SU’s biggest of the season, Coach Autry was disappointed with the team’s finish.
“I thought the second half was good until the last 7-8 minutes. We stopped playing,” Autry said postgame. “We shouldn’t have made this a game, but we did.”
Syracuse now looks ahead to Saturday, when they’ll host rival Georgetown at 2:30 p.m.