Syracuse Bounces Back With Impressive Road Win at Pittsburgh
After one of the most lopsided defeats in program history at North Carolina on Saturday, Syracuse picked up an impressive road win at Pittsburgh 69-58 in one of its most efficient performances of the season. This currently counts as a quad one win.
Next up for Syracuse is a return home to the JMA Wireless Dome to face a team that was in the Final Four last year in the Miami Hurricanes. That game is on Saturday and tips at Noon Eastern. It will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Syracuse shot 47% from the floor overall and went 10-17 from three point range in one of its best shooting outings this season. The Orange defense held the Panthers to just 35% shooting and 5-26 (19%) from deep.
The first half was a typical Syracuse vs Pittsburgh rivalry game with physical play and strong defense. The Orange trailed by six points midway through the half, but took control over the last 10 minutes outscoring the Panthers 23-6 to take an 11 point advantage into the locker room.
The second half saw more strong defense from Syracuse and efficient offense as it extended its lead to 16 with a little over nine minutes remaining. Pitt went on a mini run to cut it to 10 with about six minutes left, but JJ Starling hit a mid-range jumper on a possession that saw three Orange offensive boards to take momentum back. The Panthers would not get closer than nine the rest of the way.
In the first meeting, Syracuse held Blake Hinson, Pitt's best player, to just 3-12 shooting. The Orange was even better in this one as he was just 4-17 shooting and 2-11 from beyond the arc. The Panthers' star freshman Carlton Carrington, who averaged 14 points per game coming in, was held scoreless on 0-10 shooting and 0-7 from three point range.
JJ Starling led the way for Syracuse with 17 points on 7-11 shooting including 2-5 from three point range. Judah Mintz finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists but was just 3-13 from the floor. Benny Williams and Quadir Copeland combined for 15 points off the bench while Justin Taylor added six points and five rebounds.
Jaland Lowe tried to keep Pittsburgh in it with a career high 20 points.
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