This is not a misprint: Free-throw shooting played a big role in why Syracuse basketball won its non-conference game against a scrappy Northeastern group on Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome by a final score of 91-83.
The Orange entered Saturday's affair hitting on just 58 percent from the free-throw line, good for last place in Division I men's basketball. Against the Huskies, a team that simply wouldn't go away, the 'Cuse scored 21 more points at the free-throw line than its foe.
That's why the Orange emerged victorious, moving Syracuse basketball to 8-4 overall with a Monday night home contest versus Stonehill representing the final non-conference game for the 'Cuse before Atlantic Coast Conference competition commences.