William Kyle III recorded 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks to lead a balanced scoring attack by Syracuse in a 76-63 home win over Mercyhurst on Wednesday.
Kyle shot 7-for-8 from the floor, while J.J. Starling (6-for-9) also was efficient en route to 15 points for the Orange (7-4). Sadiq White Jr. chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Kiyan Anthony and Naithan George notched 12 points apiece.
Jake Lemelman was the high scorer for Mercyhurst (4-8) with 23 points, and he grabbed four of his team’s 11 steals. Bernie Blunt III contributed 15 points for the Lakers but shot just 5 of 14 from the floor.
Mercyhurst trailed 17-14 just over seven minutes into the game before the hosts put up the next 11 points. Kyle scored twice following offensive rebounds to begin the surge before Anthony added two buckets to push the lead to double figures.
George’s 3-pointer increased the advantage to 28-14.
The Lakers, meanwhile, went cold from the field. They missed seven consecutive shots at one point in the first half and went more than five minutes without a field goal. Long-range shooting was an issue, as well, as they started 2 of 3 from 3-point range before missing their next 12 from outside the arc.
Starling made a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half to send Syracuse into the locker room with a 39-23 lead.
Mercyhurst couldn’t make much of a dent in the second half. The visitors got within 43-29 early in the stanza before Kyle threw down dunks on back-to-back possessions to restore an 18-point cushion.
The Lakers whittled their deficit to 66-53 on Blunt’s 3-pointer with 4:21 to play. However, Kyle’s three-point play helped keep the momentum on the side of the Orange. Nate Kingz added five points down the stretch as Syracuse built its lead back to 18.
