SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Orange basketball team led for nearly 70% of the game, but saw its offense freeze down the stretch as Virginia Tech earned a 76-74 win late on Wednesday night.
Syracuse (12-7, 3-3) was held without a field goal for a critical four-minute stretch late in the second half.
Virginia Tech punched first for the lead behind an immediate Neoklis Avdalas layup. Nate Kingz picked up where he left off as he connected on his first three and made two early free throws. Amani Hansberry
had a pair of scores inside as both teams traded jabs with two ties and six lead changes in the first four minutes. The game was knotted at 10 at the first media timeout following a Donnie Freeman three.
With Avdalas checking him, Kingz buried his second three out of a horns set following the media timeout. After, Starling picked up his second foul at the 14:06 mark and would sit for the remainder of the half as Tyler Betsey and Sadiq White entered the game. Freeman slid down to center as Kyle checked out. White matched up on Avdalas. Off an extra pass from Kingz, Betsey buried a corner three on his first shot attempt that gave Syracuse a 20-13 lead. Mike Young burned his first timeout.
Out of that timeout Syracuse would open up a double-digit lead at 23-13 as White buried a three from the same spot as Betsey on a broken play. George picked up his second foul on the next play and Bryce Zephir jogged to the scorer’s table, logging meaningful minutes for the first time in ACC play. Kiyan Anthony checked in alongside him as Zephir handled point guard duties. A 7-0 run by Virginia Tech whittled the Orange lead to three before Freeman’s second three of the half. Then, Anthony buried a three from the top of the key and was fouled. He’d miss the free throw after putting the Orange up 29-22 at the under-eight minute media timeout.
From there Kyle had back to back scores inside as Toby Lawal answered just before Hansberry picked up his second foul at the 4:04 mark. Young replaced Hansberry as Anthony, who was fouled on the drive, made a pair of free throws. Syracuse led 35-27 at the last media timeout of the half.
With the half winding down, Kyle finished off a thunderous drive with a dunk that awakened a drowsy dome crowd and had one West Coast NBA Scout lean forward in his chair (three NBA scouts were on-hand for this game). Then, Hammond’s second three of the half whittled it back to seven. Chants of “Let’s go Orange” broke out with 80 seconds left in the half and Kingz responded with strong defense with back-to-back steals.
After a scoreless final few possessions Syracuse went into the half with a 37-30 lead. The Orange shot 7-12 from three in the first 20 minutes to Virginia Tech’s 3-9 outside shooting. The Hokies had an 18-12 points in the paint advantage while the Syracuse bench outscored Virginia Tech’s 13-5.
Out of the break, Hansberry scored first with an uncontested layup and Starling matched him with an easy layup of his own on the other end before Lawal threw down a two-handed flush. Starling, with new life, finished off a floater following a pirouette in the lane. A corner three from Kingz had Syracuse up 44-37 at the first media timeout of the second half.
Betsey and White checked in first for Syracuse at at 13:42 mark. Freeman once again slid down to center as Starling took over point guard. Hansberry picked up his third foul with 12:19 remaining and was recalled to the bench. Then, a Jaden Schutt transition three tied the game at 45 and a Hammond free throw gave Virginia Tech its first lead of the half 46-45. White, however, finished off a lob with a Dunk on assist from George to reclaim the lead.
With a defensive second half setting the stage, fouls began to mount on both sides. Gurdak picked up his fourth foul with 9:41 to play. He’d sit the bench along with Hansberry after his fourth foul as both teams traded stops. Freeman, White and George all played with three fouls for SU. After a pair of Virginia Tech free throws, White, once again, took the lead back by finishing off a lob with a dunk — this time from Starling. Lawal would go the line on the next possession, splitting a pair to tie the game at 49. Once again it was White who flushed home another dunk for Syracuse. He tied the game at 51.
Down the stretch turnovers began to accumulate for Syracuse on thanks to a heavy-handed offense. Hammond put Virginia Tech up 56-53. After another Orange turnover which resulted in a five point lead for the Hokies, the Syracuse students section began chanting, “fi-re Au-try.” A Boeheim-esque glare by the current Syracuse head coach quieted some of the distasteful jeers. A George turnaround jumpshot stopped the bleeding, getting Syracuse to within four with 5:29 remaining.
The Orange showed press following a timeout but to limited avail. The Syracuse offense began to stall down the stretch as all five Syracuse players looked as if they were trying to find someone to pass to — searching for a somebody — anybody else, really — to take a shot. Missed shots piled up on one end and a Neoklis Avdalas score on the other put Virginia Tech up seven with 3:07 on the clock.
George, trying to make something happen, missed a tough layup off the glass and an ensuing Hansberry bucket pushed the lead to nine. Starling eventually (finally?) scored down the stretch, ending a four-minute drought without a made field-goal.
From there, the game turned interesting. A Betsey three cut the deficit to six with 54 seconds left. Virginia Tech split a pair of free throws and then Betsey, fouled on a three point attempt, made all three to make it a five point game. Then a steal out of the press and score by Freeman cut it to three with 39 seconds left. The Orange would foul thereafter and Lawal made both free throws but Starling score got it back three and Syracuse, somehow, forced another turnover out of the press.
Autry drew up a look for Kingz out of the timeout. The senior had a look for three on a fade to the corner and missed it, forcing a foul by Betsey. Avdalas split a pair at the line and Starling scored quick at the rim. His layup to trimmed the lead to two with 7.5 seconds left.
Virginia Tech worked the ball into Avdalas, who made the first but missed the second. Lawal stretched over Freeman to grab an offensive rebound. He made both to put the game out of reach. A George three at the buzzer found the bottom of the net as Virginia Tech walked out with a two point victory.
Note
This was the final 9 p.m. EST tip-off at the dome this season. Syracuse has just one 9 p.m. tip the rest of the way, an away game at Louisville on Mar. 3.
Next up
Syracuse returns home to host Miami (15-4, 0-2) this Saturday. That game tips at 2 p.m. and airs on ACC Network.
