The Syracuse Orange are back in the win column, picking up their third Quadrant 2 victory of the year after storming back to beat the SMU Mustangs 79-78 at home Saturday.
It took a couple of heroic performances, including the game-winning layup from Nate Kingz, to get to the finish line on top. That said, Syracuse overcame slow starts in both halves to walk away with the W.
Here are your takeaways from the weekend thriller:
Anthony helps spark the comeback
Early in the second half, it appeared the Mustangs would gallop its way to a comfortable
win. SMU pushed its lead back up to double-digits, while Syracuse couldn’t muster enough consistency to inch closer.
Then, momentum starting to swing, and it started with a player who has been in the spotlight in recent weeks for the Orange.
Kiyan Anthony finished with 13 points on 5/10 shooting overall and 2/4 from three. It tied for the most points he has ever scored against an ACC opponent. It’s also the second time he has reached double figures in Syracuse’s last three games.
The key for Anthony: in the first half, he didn’t do much, but that totally changed coming out of the locker room. It began with a corner three that got the Orange back within single digits. A few baskets later, Anthony scored this impressive finish plus the foul to give Cuse its first lead since very early in the first half.
The lineup that spearheaded the comeback largely included Anthony and Naithan George in the backcourt, Kingz and Tyler Betsey on the wing and William Kyle. Syracuse got a couple of good looks from three that went down by Kingz and Betsey, but Anthony did really unlock that lineup.
Both sides turn to zone defense
For any basketball fans who are zone defense fanatics, this game was for you.
For Syracuse, it was back to the 2-3 for most of the contest.
The rationale made sense: don’t let Boopie Miller, SMU’s leading scorer and passer heading into the contest, beat the Orange one-on-one.
The results were certainly mixed: the good news is Miller finished with just 11 points on 3/10 shooting, although he still had seven assists. On the other hand, five other Mustangs finished in double-figures, led by a 19-point effort from backup big Jaden Toombs.
That said, you’d imagine Syracuse doesn’t win this game if Miller was attacking head on and finished with 20 points or something like that.
On the other side, SMU went with a 1-3-1 look. The key to attacking: move the ball, don’t cough it up and make threes off said ball movement. How did ‘Cuse do there? SMU only won the points off turnovers battle by two (10-8), ‘Cuse had eight turnovers compared to six for SMU and the Orange went 11/30 (36.7%) from three.
Slow starts, better finishes to halves
A smaller point, but it bears noting. Syracuse’s first 10 minutes in both halves compared to the last 10 were night and day.
SMU got out to an early lead and controlled the pace. It relentless took advantage of the Orange’s struggles on the boards. The final tally: SMU outscored Syracuse 27-6 in second-chance points.
But, Syracuse did fight back in both halves. During the first, Syracuse trimmed a double-digit deficit down to as low as two, before heading into halftime only trailing 37-33. After SMU went back up as much as 61-49 with 12 to go, the Orange again rallied.
Considering all the outside noise, proper credit should be given for at least not letting this contest get blown totally out of proportion. SMU led for over 90% of game time, but a combination of timely baskets, better defensive execution and more positive results on the glass gave Syracuse a chance to pull this one off.
Kingz has been a king for ‘Cuse
He’s not just the “hero” for making what was the game-leading score, but he’s quietly been Syracuse’s second- or third-best scorer while also providing effort consistently on defense.
Kingz has reached double-figures in Syracuse’s last three games and seven of its last nine. Considering his slow start to conference play (he never reached more than seven points against the Orange’s first four ACC opponents), Kingz is continuing to give the team much-needed two-way play.
And now, he’ll have a memorable shot to look back on forever.
