Buddy Boeheim scored a career-high 22 points, Elijah Hughes added 21, including 16 in the first half, and Syracuse beat Bucknell 97-46 on Saturday.

In winning their fourth straight, the Orange (4-1) scored 35 points off 22 Bucknell turnovers and shot 56% from the field, including 14-for-29 from 3, one under the school record. Bucknell (2-4) had entered the game holding opponents to 26% from beyond the arc.

Joe Girard scored 12 points for the Orange and assisted on six more. Boeheim was 6-for-8 from 3, including four in a 2:32 span in the second half. Bourama Sidibe had nine points and nine rebounds. Syracuse had 25 assists on 37 baskets.

Bruce Moore scored 17 for the Bison.

Syracuse made 14 steals and 13 blocks, after to failing to block a single shot in their last game against Cornell, and held Bucknell to 26% shooting for the game and 3-for-24 from 3 (12%). Bucknell was 6-for-30 in the second half.

Syracuse was 18-for-31 in the first half, including 8-for-17 from 3, and cruised to a 51-26 halftime lead, the Orange’s largest first-half output since scoring 53 against Eastern Michigan in the 2016-17 season.

Big Picture 

Bucknell: It’s hard to gauge much from the game. The Bison was totally overmatched but won’t be facing this kind of competition any time soon.

Syracuse: The Orange have a season-defining, five-game stretch coming up. Syracuse plays Oklahoma State Wednesday in the NIT Season Tip-Off, then the winner of Mississippi vs. Penn State, followed by a home game against Iowa before hitting the road for games against ACC foe Georgia Tech and old Big East rival Georgetown, which defeated No. 22 Texas this week. This stretch could determine whether Syracuse receives an NCAA Tournament bid.

Up Next 

After three straight road games, the Bison host Seattle on Monday.

The Orange kicks off a tough stretch of four of five games away from the Carrier Dome with a Wednesday matchup against Oklahoma State at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The game is part of the NIT Season Tip-Off.