SYRACUSE, N.Y. --- The Golden Eagles men's basketball team headed on the road for a highly-anticipated exhibition against ACC power Syracuse on Saturday, holding their own against the Orange in the second half but falling 101-73 at the JMA Wireless Dome.
 
Taking on a Division I opponent is no easy feat, but the Golden Eagles managed to make the game against the Orange interesting, particularly in the second half as they kept a better pace with their opponent. Clarion was bolstered primarily by the efforts of three of their returners, led by 2024 Second Team All-PSAC West selection Cam Kearney. He scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, with all of his damage coming from inside the arc, and he also snagged a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Jeremy Thomas II had a strong day himself, going 8-of-9 from the field for 17 points and four rebounds. Justice Easter came off the bench for 10 points, going 4-of-6 from the field.
 
One of the biggest differences in the contest came at the three-point line, with Clarion going just 4-of-21 from beyond the arc while the Orange shot 12-of-34 from long range. Syracuse outscored the Golden Eagles 19-4 off turnovers and 24-4 on the fast break.
 
It was a 15-2 run to start things for the Orange, with Thomas stopping the bleeding with a make at the 15:07 mark. He showed his range on the next possession, making a three-pointer off a pass from Kearney to cut the deficit to 17-7. Traden Gray knocked down a three-pointer at the 10:28 mark to make it a 30-10 game, and Gavin Cote kicked off a small run with a jumper with 8:34 to go in the half. Easter added a made at the 7:11 mark to pull his side within 34-18, and Cote added another midrange jumper to polish off the 6-0 run. Kearney kept the score within 20 points with jumpers at 3:24 and 2:58 of the first half, and newcomer Cam Crocker took a pass from Kearney and laid it in with 1:12 left to go to make it 47-29.
 
Syracuse scored quickly in the second half to bump the lead past 20 points, but the Golden Eagles more or less kept pace early on. Kearney scored five minutes in to make it 58-39 but that was the closest the game would be for the remainder, as the Orange eventually broke the century mark in the win.
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