71 - 62 
It was rocky, but SU is 2-0.
It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but Syracuse improved to 2-0 with a 71-62 victory over Iona on Tuesday night.
Jim Boeheim kept the same starting lineup he’s used for all three games so far this season (two exhibition, one regular season), but juggled it throughout.
Frank Howard led Syracuse with 10 first-half points, but his inconsistency remains an issue. He had a few careless turnovers that frustrated the Orange coaching stuff, specifically Jim Boeheim.
Paschal Chukwu started the game 2-of-3 from the field, including two dunks. He still isn’t where Syracuse wants him to be, but we saw a few strides tonight in the right direction.
But the story of the night was Tyus Battle, who scored a career-high 28 points. His previous high was 23 points last season vs. Virginia. As for tonight, when Syracuse needed a scorer down the stretch, Battle knew it was his time to step up — and that he did.
Battle had that killer instinct that he’s shown at times before, but it’s something the Orange may need each night with the lack of offense from his teammates through two games.
Frank Howard also finished with a career-high 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting. He finished with five turnovers and four assists, too, which goes back to the struggles that still need to be worked out.
Burma Sidibe didn’t have as much success on Tuesday as he did in previous games. In his 18 minutes of action, Sidibe had two points and four rebounds.
Another spark for the Orange came from freshman Marek Dolezaj. He came off the bench, scored seven points, grabbed six boards and had a steal. But the most impressive part of his game is his basketball awareness. Marek seems to be always be in the right place at the right time, and he’s incredibly active. He’s a perfect role player this season that could be a star down the road in his SU career.
Iona kept is close down the stretch, but Syracuse, in large part to Tyus Battle, found a way to improve to 2-0 on the young season.
The Gaels were led by Rickey McGill, who scored 21 points. Deyshonee Much added 13.
Syracuse returns to action this Saturday, Nov. 18 against Texas Southern in the Carrier Dome. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN3.
