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  Article by Dan Tortora

  Coming into this weekend match-up with the Drexel Dragons, the Syracuse Orange were 1-0 after a 97-63 win at home against the Lafayette Leopards.

  In front of an audience that included Orange big men alumni John Wallace and Derrick Coleman, the Boeheims were the first to get on the scoreboard for the 'Cuse, with graduate Jimmy Boeheim working inside for two at the rim followed by a three shortly after by senior Buddy Boeheim and a 2-for-2 trip at the charity stripe.

  Junior Jesse Edwards from inside the arc and Joe Girard, III, from the outside would be the next to get on the board for Syracuse.

  Right by the 12-minute mark of the first half, all Syracuse starters had scored when senior Cole Swider connected on a baseline jumper after a fake.

  But with more than half of the first period gone, Drexel was not going anywhere, with graduate guard Tre Brown connecting to make it a one-possession game, 23-20, inside nine minutes before the break.

  Brown would connect on back-to-back threes to follow, giving him three-straight field goals and moving the Dragons ahead 26-23, their first lead since being up 3-2 at the 18:58 mark of the opening half.

  Drexel went 3-for-4 from the field between the 6:33 mark and 4:50 remaining in the first half, with the third of those assisted by Brown to graduate guard/forward Melik Martin. The three makes by Brown and the assist from Brown to Martin would put the Dragons on a 10-0 run that resulted in a 28-23 lead at the 4:50 mark.

  The Orange would make three-consecutive field goals, a dunk by Edwards, a layup by Jimmy Boeheim that came off of a steal by Swider, and a three by Buddy Boeheim to retake the lead for Syracuse, 32-31, with 55 seconds to go in the half.

  However, senior guard Camren Wynter hits the jumper before half to give Drexel the lead back, 33-32, at the break here at the Dome vs Syracuse.

  Syracuse responded by beginning the second half with seven-straight made field goals on their opening seven possessions, bringing the game to 48-39 advantage Orange inside 16 minutes to play. Swider began the scoring on Syracuse's first possession of the second half with a long-range connection.

  Later on in the second half, Swider's steal and lay-in would give the Orange their largest lead of the game to that point, 10, ahead 52-42 inside 13 minutes to play.

  At the 11:27 mark of the second half, Jimmy Boeheim made it four Syracuse players who had at least one three-pointer in the game when his deep ball moved the Orange out to a 55-45 advantage on the Dragons.

  The Boeheims accounted for 13-consecutive points for Syracuse, advancing the Orange out to an 11-point lead, 65-50, with approximately six minutes to go in the contest.

  With 4:53 to play, true freshman forward Benny Williams swatted the ball away from the rim with ferocity, keeping Syracuse's 13-point lead.

  Buddy Boeheim's baseline jumper got the fans a free taco, helping the team pass 70 points at 71-52 and giving him 23 points on the night with 3:21 to go.

  In total, the Orange out-scored the Dragons 43-27 in the second half on their way to a 75-60 victory at home.

  Syracuse is now 2-0 to start the season against non-conference foes.

  This is Drexel's first loss of the 2021-22 campaign, bringing them to 1-1 after a 103-74 win over the Neumann Knights, a Division III team that plays in the Atlantic East Conference.

  Buddy and Jimmy led in scoring for the Orange, Buddy with 23 and Jimmy with 14. Swider and Girard followed with 11 apiece.

  Junior forward Mate Okros ended atop all scorers for the Dragons with 16, followed by Wynter with 11.