SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After nearly two and a half minutes of scoreless basketball in a one-point game, redshirt senior Nate Kingz decided it was time to put it away. The lefty drove into the lane, with just seconds remaining on the clock, and got a flip layup to go for the game-winning bucket. An ensuing full-court shot from Boopie Miller would hit the side of the rim, and the Orange would escape with a 79-78 victory over SMU.
It was a game of runs throughout, but when the Orange needed it the most, it was a cast
of role players that stepped up down the stretch, with Kiyan Anthony and Tyler Betsey providing 21 second-half points and a huge spark off the bench.
So much so, they could not come out of the game, and JJ Starling only played three minutes in the second half.
However, at the end of the day, Coach Autry and company willed their way to a victory and found a way to hit a game-winning shot from the inside, a place they were dominated in the early going.
Out of the gate, the Mustangs recognized they had the size advantage against the Orange and went to work inside the paint.
Syracuse ran lineups with 6’9” William Kyle and Donnie Freeman playing the five and being forced to guard 7’2” Samet Yigitoglu and 6’10” Jaden Toombs of SMU, and it was a clear mismatch for Syracuse. Yigitoglu and Toombs combined for seventeen points in the first twenty minutes on 9 of 12 shooting. As a team, SMU had 30 points in the paint in the same amount of time.
But on defense, SMU was fouling, and doing a lot of it, which kept Syracuse within striking distance. The Orange were in the bonus with 12:58 to go in the first half, and shot 11 of 14 from the charity stripe.
And Syracuse also closed out the first half strong. The Orange went on a 14-6 run heading into the locker room, and at the break, the Mustangs led 39-35.
But coming out of halftime, the momentum completely flipped. SMU could not miss in the first three and a half minutes, scoring 12 points in that time and forcing Coach Autry to take a timeout as the lead extended to ten, 51-41.
The teams continued to trade baskets for the next five minutes, and for SMU, it was a steady dose of Toombs who led the team with 19 points.
But then, all of a sudden, Kiyan Anthony came to life. Just when you thought that SMU might pull away, the freshman brought the Orange right back. He scored seven points in three minutes, and you blinked, and it was a five-point game at 69-64, and SMU head coach Andy Enfield was forced to take a timeout.
And after the timeout, more Anthony. He had all of his 13 points in the second half, ignited the crowd in the Dome, and with 5:40 left, gave Syracuse a 72-71 lead, its first lead of the game.
Along with Anthony, Tyler Betsey caught some fire as well. He hit two huge three pointers down the stretch, and after a Nait George layup with 3:18 left, the Orange led 77-76.
But then, more Toombs. A put-back layup would give the Mustangs the lead back, and then, after missed baskets and free throws from both teams for almost two minutes, it was Kingz who hit the game-winner.
The Orange have won two straight for the first time in a month when they took down Florida State, but the celebration cannot last too long, as it’s a quick trip down to Durham to take on Duke on Big Monday in 48 hours.
