Syracuse basketball cannot overcome horrible start, fall 70-61 to Stanford
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Syracuse basketball cannot overcome horrible start, fall 70-61 to Stanford

Syracuse, new – Syracuse, a team that has been plagued by slow starts throughout the season, took things to a new level against Stanford on Wednesday.

Orange did not show up during the first ten minutes of the game. Stanford scored the first 17 points in the game and eventually extended the lead to 25-2. No Syracuse starter made in the first 13 minutes of the game.

Syracuse would make a game of it and gathered within six points in the last minutes of the game, but the early deficit turned out to be too steep to overcome when Stanford gave Orange a loss of 70-61 at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, California.

The loss sent Syracuse’s record to 9-12 in the season and 3-7 in ACC. Orange has lost its last three matches and is now 1-8 from home this season.

Stanford, who won for the sixth time in his last seven matches, improved to 15-6 total and 7-3 at the conference. Cardinal is now 12-1 at home this season.

Wednesday’s game was the first stop on Syracuse’s first West Coast trip to meet ACC newcomers Stanford and California. Orange will play cal on Saturday before returning home to host Duke next Wednesday.

Syracuse could not have started a worse start on Wednesday.

Orange looked lost on crime. There seemed to be no intention or plan. Syracuse missed its first seven shots and committed four sales in the first seven minutes.

Stanford Center Maxime Raynaud, ACC’s leaders in both points and returns, had a double double at half time with 11 points and 11 returns. The 7-foot-1 Senior received eight of Stanford’s first 12 points, including a couple of 3 points.

Raynaud would end up with 21 points and 15 returns. Hans showed his versatility, hit hook images in the low post and buried three 3 points.

But the orange did not fall.

Reserve guards Jaquan Carlos and Kyle Cuffe gave Syracuse a Boost and combined to get Orange’s first nine points in the game.

Syracuse chopped the Cardinal’s lead down to seven points and went on a 20-4 run punished by Jyare Davis’ Dunk to score 29-22 with 3 minutes left in half.

During driving, Orange began to move the ball quickly and even pressed the ball up for some rare transition points.

After coming back to the game during the first half, Syracuse could not get over the hump for much of the second half.

Syracuse forward Petar Majstorovic’s bucket with just over 16 minutes left in the game, Stanford’s lead to 41-33. But Orange’s crime hit a dry magic formula. Stanford scored the next six points and suddenly the lead was back to 47-33.

Stanford drove his lead back to 12 points with 7 minutes left, but Orange made six straight. JJ Starling’s driving basket reduced the margin to 62-56 by 3:34 on the clock.

However, Syracuse came empty on its next possessions and would only make another field goal the rest of the way.

Carlos, who started the first 14 matches of the season before losing his job as a starting point, led Orange with 16 points. It tied his season high, which he had previously sat against Wake Forest on December 31.

Starling suffered through a rough excursion. Syracuse’s leading goal scorer for the season of 18.8 points per match, Starling scored only seven points on 3-for-16 shooting. It was only the second time this season that he was held to individual figures.

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