Syracuse holds on to beat Bucknell 75-63 in non-conference finale

By: Skyler Wilkes | @swilkes04

Basketball is a team game. Obviously, you have the five players on the court. But, you also have more reserves. That was the key for Syracuse in its 75-63 win over Bucknell. The Orange had 27 bench points, nine of which came from Kyle Cuffe. The guard has seen an increased role recently, which according to head coach Adrian Autry, stems from his mentality. 

“He’s tough, he competes, he doesn’t back down and that’s what resonates with me,” said Autry. “He didn’t get off the bench for a couple games early on but you couldn’t tell if you came to practice. He kept his head down and that’s who I want to go to war with. Guys that are going to be tough and battle.”  

Meanwhile, Cuffe is relishing this new opportunity. 

“Just being able to be on the floor and physically help my teammates on the court, like before I was helping my teammates a lot off the court and encouraging them,” explained Cuffe. “Now, being able to do it on the court is amazing.” 

The redshirt junior also described the bench dynamic.

“It’s always been a team thing,” stated Cuffe. “It’s always been a mentality that next man up or we’re all going to stick together and we’re all going to push for each other.” 

SU center Eddie Lampkin was also very complimentary of the Queens native.

“When his time is here, it’s here,” stated Lampkin. “For him, he’s just got to take advantage. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t play any game. He could be playing in-conference, we could be playing in [the] postseason, it shouldn’t matter. It’s just being a great teammate at all times and just taking the opportunity that you got.”

Cuffe finished with a season-high in minutes and one short of his season-high in scoring. For Syracuse overall, it was the sixth-most bench points this year. SU hopes that trend continues when it officially begins conference play. The ‘Cuse welcomes Wake Forest to town on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.