SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Orange basketball team won its first game of the regular season on Monday over the New Haven Chargers, 74-58, inside the JMA Wireless Dome. 

The Orange had multiple standout performances, but the most encouraging performance came from sophomore guard Kiyan Anthony. 

Here's what you need to know about his outing, which featured a team-high 17 points.

After the firing of head coach Adrian Autry this March, Anthony was one of many players from the 2025-26 roster that considered leaving the Syracuse program. While many players in fact did leave Central New York, Anthony decided to stay along with Sadiq White Jr.

In July, Anthony noted that one of the reasons why he decided to stay in Central New York was the hiring of Gerry McNamara as the team's new head coach. Anthony has known McNamara most of his life and he spoke about their unique relationship after Monday's win. Anthony's father, Carmelo Anthony, was a teammate of McNamara when Syracuse won the national championship in 2003. Carmelo has also spoken well of McNamara as a head coach.

Also in the summer, Anthony made headlines for his physical transformation. The 6-foot-5 guard added nearly 15 pounds of muscle to his frame. The hope was that Anthony's new physique would have him better prepared for the physical play needed to get through the season.

In three preseason games, Anthony played sporadically. McNamara noted that Anthony was dealing with a knee injury during the lead up to the regular season. Despite the reported injury, fans and media members questioned if Anthony's playing time could be diminished following the standout play of guard Ryan Moesch. 

While Anthony did come off the bench, his performance was strong. In the first half alone, Anthony netted nine points, two rebounds and an assist in just 10 minutes. The nine points trailed only Gavin Doty's 10 points at halftime. 

Anthony finished the game as the team's leading scorer with 17 points. He added in three rebounds and three assists total.

After weeks of speculating what type of impact Anthony may have on this year's team, some of those questions may have been answered on Monday. The slate of games in in the next few weeks for the Orange will include tougher foes than New Haven.

Contests against teams like St. John's, Oklahoma, and Indiana will offer a stronger challenge. If Anthony continues to contribute the way he did on Monday night, his role on the team will continue to be an important one. 

Syracuse is back in action on Thursday night when it hosts Central Connecticut State. Tip- off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET inside the JMA Wireless Dome.