LAS VEGAS, NV — While the Syracuse Orange (4-1) kept it close, it ultimately couldn’t seal the deal with an upset victory against one of the best teams in the country. Syracuse dropped its first game of the Players
Era Festival, losing 78-74 in overtime to the No. 3 Houston Cougars (6-0) on Monday.
Syracuse led by as much as nine in the first half and trailed as much as 11 late in the second, but a late rally led to extra basketball inside MGM Grand Garden Arena. In overtime, Syracuse again had its chances but came up short of getting over the hump in its first game against a Power 5 opponent this season.
Four players would finish in double-figures for the Orange, led by strong bench performances from Tyler Betsey (16 points, 4/8 from three) and Kiyan Anthony (10 points). William Kyle (12 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals), J.J. Starling (11 points), Naithan George (11 points) and Nate Kingz (10 points) also contributed to Syracuse’s offense. The Orange notably did leave plenty of points on the board, shooting under 50% (12/29) from the foul line.
As for Houston, Emanuel Sharp and Milis Uzan combined for 52 of Houston’s 78 points, with each scoring 26. Syracuse held the Cougars to under 37% from the field for the game.
Syracuse got the ball first and immediately capitalized after William Kyle found Starling wide open in the corner for three. The Orange’s offense certainly felt the defensive pressure early from Houston, who blocked three shots in the game’s first three minutes. White would give Syracuse a 5-4 lead heading into the first timeout after another nice pass from Kyle.
Three-point shooting would drive the scoring for both sides early on. Uzan drilled consecutive looks from behind the line to put Houston back in front, but the Orange bench counter-punched thanks to a major spark from Anthony and Betsey.
Anthony drove inside on one play then dunked in transition after he and Starling turned over Houston in the backcourt. Betsey also knocked down three triples in a matter of minutes, the third of which would give the Orange a 23-14 lead with 10 minutes to go in the first half.
At this point, the Orange had held the Cougars to 4/14 (29%) from the field, but it would quickly storm back. Syracuse went without any points for over four minutes, while some plays from Uzan, a handful of free throws from Sharp and a three from Kingston Flemings would highlight an 11-0 for Houston. A three from Nate Kingz and two free throw makes by Kyle got the Orange back in front, but back-to-back triples from Flemings and Chase McCarty would put ‘Cuse down 31-28 heading into the last media timeout of the first half.
Houston would go up as much as five (35-32), but a transition score by Anthony off an outlet pass from Starling would trim Syracuse’s deficit down to three. It would stay that way heading into halftime (37-34), despite ‘Cuse making just one of its final seven shots in the first half.
Both teams shot under 37% from the field and got to the line a combined 35 times in the game’s first 20 minutes. Syracuse notably shot just 8/18 on foul shots in the first half. Betsey and Anthony scored 20 of the Orange’s 34 first-half points, while the trio of Sharp (13 points, 8/8 FTs), Uzan (10 points and Flemings (9 points) led the way for the Cougars heading into the second half.
Syracuse came out of halftime looking to attack inside. A contested jam by Kyle followed by a layup from each of Starling and George would bring the Orange within one. George then drilled a three over Sharp to make it three straight makes in a row for Syracuse, who was now back in front 43-41 with 15 minutes left.
The Cougars once again battle back. Chris Cenac Jr. went on a personal 7-0 run to help stabilize Houston’s offense. Consecutive scores from Uzan, including a three at the end of the shot clock, would put Orange in a seven-point hole with under 12 minutes left, its largest deficit all game. Another jam inside by Kyle would trim that down to five heading into a media timeout.
But after Kingz converted on an and-one transition layup, momentum really started to go in Houston’s favor. The Orange would go on another lengthy scoring drought, and turnovers started to turn into points for the Cougars. A couple of baskets from Sharp ignited a 9-0 Houston run. Just like that, Syracuse faced an 11-point deficit (65-54) with under five to go.
But, it was not over yet. Syracuse clawed its way back. It started with a much-needed spark from Starling. He drove right to the rim for one layup. A few minutes later, Starling would get an and-one layup. Although he missed the free throw, Betsey would tip the ball in and trim Houston’s lead down to five (67-62). Moments later, Kyle dunked to put the Orange within three, and then, Betsey came up with another big one from three:
The 11-0 run by Syracuse would lead to the matchup going into overtime after neither team scored in the final minute.
Uzan would get the Cougars going with a layup inside, but was quickly matched by a score inside from Kingz. Houston would then go up five after back-to-back shots, including a deep three, from Sharp, but a Starling mid-range jumper and a free throw make from Kyle brought the Orange back within two (74-72) with a minute left in OT, but free throws from Uzan late would ultimately put the game away for good.
Syracuse will return to MGM Grand Garden Arena on Tuesday for a matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks, who are coming off a 10-point win over Notre Dame. It will be the Orange’s second-straight Q1 opponent. Tip-off is at 3:30 p.m. EST.
