Syracuse Falls Short Against #19 Auburn
Auburn used a run at the end of the first half and kept Syracuse at bay in the second as the Orange fell to the 19th ranked Tigers 89-68. Syracuse drops to 3-3 with the loss while Auburn improved to 5-1. Next up for the Orange is the ACC/B1G challenge against Indiana. That game tips on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.
Joe Girard hit a three to give Syracuse a 25-24 lead with 7:20 left in the first half. To that point, the first half had been a back and forth, competitive affair. Then Auburn took control of the game and never looked back. An 11-0 run by the Tigers, fueled by three three-pointers, created a 10 point lead that Auburn would not relinquish. Syracuse would not get closer than seven the rest of the first half, and a 10-0 run by Auburn early in the second would create an insurmountable lead.
Syracuse did make a bit of a run in the second half, a quick 7-0 spurt to trim the lead back to 10, but that was as close as the Orange would get.
Jesse Edwards, Buddy Boeheim and Cole Swider each scored 17 points to lead the Orange. Buddy was just 3-12 from the floor, however, and 2-6 from beyond the arc. Edwards added six rebounds and a block. Jabari Smith led Auburn with 22 points.
Auburn shot 50.7% from the floor and 40.0% from beyond the arc. Syracuse shot just 41.7% from the floor and 36.8% from three point range. The Tigers outrebounded the Orange 38-28.
