The Syracuse University men's basketball team moved to 8-4 on the season with a 91-83 win over the Northeastern Huskies on Saturday night at the JMA Wireless Dome.

The Huskies fell to 4-6 on the season.

Here's what you need to know:

Offense steps up

After Wednesday's win against Mercyhurst, head coach Adrian Autry was defensive in his postgame comments, declaring that "nothing is wrong" with the offense - a comment that got real backlash from fans. Well, in this game, he was proven right in a lot of ways, with the Orange scoring 91 points, the high-water mark of the season thus far.

Inside the box score

--Five players scored in double-figures yet again, as the Orange continue to show good balance offensively. Naithan George had his best game in an Orange uniform, scoring 22 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 12-of-14 at the foul line. Kiyan Anthony had 18 off the bench while Nate Kingz, Tyler Betsey and William Kyle III each had 14.

--Syracuse shot 51 percent from the floor (27-of-53) while Northeastern shot 48 percent (31-of-65).

--The Orange were just 25 percent (3-of-12) from three-point range, while the Huskies were 8-of-23 (35 percent).

--Syracuse, the worst free-throw shooting team in the country, attempted a whopping 48 free-throws in this game, connecting on 34 of them (71 percent). In addition to George's big day, Anthony was 8-of-12.

--Syracuse out-rebounded Northeastern 38-33 and committed fewer turnovers (11 vs. 13).

--The Orange led by as many as 15, but the lead was down to five inside five minutes to play.

Something to watch for

The Orange seem to be placing an emphasis on getting to the basket more, as they only took 12 three-pointers. It's the third straight game in which the Orange appear to have focused on playing inside the paint. Kyle had eight rebounds and three blocks as he continues to be one of the more impactful paint players in the country.

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Needs to improve

The defense is supposed to be the calling card for the Orange and allowing 83 points against a team from the CAA is not a recipe for sustained success. The Orange shouldn't be sweating out a game in which they shot 48 free-throws in total, but they were with just minutes to play. Syracuse was outscored in the paint 40-36, and only had eight assists offensively.

Also of note

Big man Donnie Freeman, who leads the team in scoring at nearly 18 ppg, missed his eighth straight game with a right foot injury. He went through warmups and is expected back for the conference opener (Dec. 31).

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