SYRACUSE, NY – After a six-day hiatus, the male basketball team Syracuse Orange returned home and survived against the NC State Wolfpack by a final score of 76-73. Orange moved to 9-1 inside the Carrier Dome this season.
NC State was without its two top scorers as Devon Daniels suffered an ACL injury earlier in the week against Wake Forest. DJ Funderburk was detained for “disciplinary reasons”, according to NC State. Jim Boeheim made no changes to their holders, going with Joe Girard, Buddy Boeheim, Alan Griffin, Quincy Guerrier and Marek Dolezaj.
Both teams started hot when Wolfpack fired five of its first six shots from the ground. Syracuse was 3-5 deep (two from Griffin, one from Boeheim) and the score was tied at 11 in the first media timeout. The onslaught continued as NC State dissected the area to bury, knocking 7-11 off the ground in the second timeout. Braxton Beverly made his first three of four attempts from outside.
The zone was porous throughout the first half when NC State placed the ball on the high post and steadied itself inside, making a 29-26 at the 7:08 mark. Syracuse surrendered to the internal battle, as the NC State had 12-6 points in advantage of the paint.
Half was played until NC State entered a 14-2 run to open a 38-28 double-digit lead with 3:07 to play.
Kadary Richmond played well off the bench, despite Syracuse’s defensive difficulties. He scored eight points in the first half, including a two-by-one opportunity at the end of the first half. Richmond was fouled on the first try, hit both free throws and scored again before the first break.
Still, NC State had a 47-38 lead to the break. Zone 2-3 allowed Wolfpack to shoot 17-30 off the ground (56.7%). Griffin scored 10 points in the first half for Syracuse, while Richmond had eight points off the bench. For State, Manny Bates scored 12 points in the first half and had nine rebounds. Jericole Hellems scored 10 points.
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Out of range, Syracuse immediately moved to the leadership of NC State. Orange sought to establish Guerrier from the inside with the tiny 5-foot-11 Beverly on it. He scored four quick points while the youngest Boeheim hit a three-point play that sent the older man falling off the chair.
Syracuse continued to cut off the NC State leadership by entering Guerrier. A counterattack by the second-year striker gave Orange the first advantage of the second half by 58-56 with 10:15 left.
With the game over, both teams exchanged advantages and disadvantages along the straight. Hellems had a three-point play that tipped the balance back in favor of Wolfpack. Griffin jumped, but Hellems took the lead shortly after possession. Richmond went the other way to SU and scored on a goal-oriented floater that gave Syracuse a 62-61 lead with more than seven minutes to play.
With Richmond taking over, Kevin Keatts removed Beverly from him in favor of Shakeel Moore, but with minimal benefit. The noise took him off the dribble and scored on another floater and Keatts mixed up defenders in Richmond. Young Boeheim found a bit of rhythm by making two consecutive 3s to give Syracuse a 70-65 lead with just over four minutes to go.
NC State returned to play with less than two minutes left, but Richmond responded from the other side with a crossed movement to spin which resulted in a sweet lay-in to the left of the glass to give Syracuse a three-point cushion in less than a minute remaining .
Dolezaj hit two free throws in a scenario of one and one with 17 seconds to finish. His free throws gave Orange a two-ball advantage. Guerrier missed by knocking Moore down with a three on the next play. He did all three. Griffin was fouled in Syracuse’s next possession and did both to give Syracuse a three-point advantage. A lift would not fall for NC State late and Orange held on to a 76-73 victory.
Statistics
Griffin led Syracuse with 19 points. Boeheim scored 17 in 4-8 outside shots. Dolezaj ended the night with 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. Guerrier finished with his seventh double-double of the season, with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Next
Syracuse hosts Carrier Dome No. 25 Louisville on Wednesday. This game starts at 19h and airs on ACCN.