Syracuse’s basketball ‘Juicing Station’ jacks up the energy in win over Drexel

Philadelphia – Adrian Autry used a phrase to describe his bench after Syracuse dominated Drexel in the second half of Saturday’s game in the XFiniti Mobile Arena.

“It’s our Juicing Station,” the SU coach said.

Later, in the Orange locker room, players would expand on the meaning of that phrase. But for now, know this:

Members of the SU bench were instrumental in changing the complexion of the game. They helped the Orange outscore the Dragons 43-18 in the second half and leave Philadelphia with a convincing 80-50 road win.

The Orange led 37-32 at the half. With Sadiq White, Akir Souare and Bryce Zephir summoned onto the court early in the second half, Syracuse blitzed the Dragons with a press that proved so dastardly, Drexel could manage only eight second-half points until 6 minutes and 18 seconds remained in the game.

Eli Beard, a slithery 5-foot-11 point guard who led the Dragons with 13 points, described SU’s second-half press as “really hard.”

His team, he said, did not work “in unison.” SU forced the Dragons to catch the ball in the corners, where players encountered double-teams of long, waving Syracuse arms. There was no simple passing outlet in sight.

Ultimately, it turned into a nightmare of epic proportions for Drexel, which shot 20% overall in the second half and was outscored 20-4 overall in points off turnovers.

“We had some energy dips in the first half,” White said. “At halftime, we talked about it and we just wanted to come out here and fire on all cylinders. Coach gave us the head nod that we’re gonna press these boys, so obviously we gotta come up with some turnovers.”

“We felt that with our size and our athleticism,” Zephir said, “we could really speed them up, create some turnovers and get us going.”

To put it another way, provide some JUICE.

Autry said Noah Lobdell captains his Juicing Station. It’s Lobdell’s job to check the energy levels on the bench and administer whatever jolt the Orange needs to achieve maximum capacity.

Akir Souare outlined JUICE as “Just Us In Combat Everyday.”

It’s an attitude. It’s a bench mantra. It’s a way to keep everybody engaged.

“It’s just mentally being locked into the game,” White said. “It’s to help our teammates and also remain mentally locked in on the bench.”

Zephir described it as “honestly, just an effort thing.”

It’s a see something, say something mentality that encourages players on the bench to boost their teammates with encouragement or shout instructions about situations they might not see.

Autry said he does not have a specific substitution pattern of stoppers. But Souare and White say they love to defend. And Zephir is tough and physical.

“Defense is something that actually helps to win a championship,” Souare said.

Autry said much of the same after Saturday’s win.

Look around the country at all the good teams, he said. Those teams consistently guard opponents.

The Orange, a team that struggled to do enough of that last season, has been much better so far in 2025-26.

“We just want to prove that we are one of those defensive teams,” White said. “We know that our offense is a work in progress, but at the end of the day, if you hang your hat on defense, offense will come.”