Syracuse blown out by SMU in second half in brief ACC Tournament appearance

The Orange gave up a 13-0 knockout blow to the Mustangs, ending their second straight losing season

Mar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Sadiq White Jr. (0) scores as Southern Methodist University Mustangs center Samet Yigitoglu (24) defends in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

All of Syracuse’s failings from this season were on display on Tuesday in their ACC Tournament first round game against SMU.

Despite being a below average 3-point shooting team on the season, the 14-seed Orange tried 34 3-pointers, making only nine (26.5 percent).  The SU defense also could not protect the backboards, giving up 19 offensive rebounds to the 11th-seeded Mustangs, who converted them into 25 second chance points.

To top it all off, Syracuse gave up 13 straight points to finish off a 28-8 SMU run in the second half that blew open a one-point game.  The Orange (15-17) season ended shortly after in an 86-69 loss.

Once again, the Syracuse defense got gouged, leading to a second half rout

As it often did over the course of the season, SU’s perimeter defense failed to slow down an opponent from behind the arc.  The Mustangs (20-12) made nine baskets during that 28-8 avalanche with six of them coming from behind the 3-point line.

All five SMU starters reached double figures on the scoresheet, led by Boopie Miller, who connected on 5-of-9 3’s en route to 25 points.  Jaron Pierre Jr. also hit five triples and finished with 21 points.  Jaden Toombs logged a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double while Samet Yigitoglu had one of his own with 12 points and 11 boards.  Corey Washington chipped in with a dozen points.

The Orange were game in a first half filled with runs

After a tight opening four minutes, the Mustangs rattled off eight quick points in under 90 seconds to grab a 16-10 lead. Syracuse responded with their own burst, running off nine straight points to take a three-point lead.

An 11-2 SMU run led them to tie their biggest lead of the first half at 27-21 with just over seven minutes on the clock.  The Orange answered with a push of their own, tallying 14 of the game’s next 20 points for a 35-33 advantage less than three minutes before the half.  The Mustangs had the better of that remaining time, though, grabbing a 39-38 edge at the break.

After each team posted a bucket to start the second half, SMU rattled off a 10-2 run for a 51-42 lead.  SU traded a couple scores with them, but the dam then burst, as the Mustangs needed less than two-and-a-half minutes to pile up 13 unanswered points and blow the game open, 69-48.

Syracuse did not roll over, outscoring SMU by an 18-7 spread to pull within 76-66 with a little over three minutes remaining.  That proved to be the last gasp for the Orange, as they gave up the next six points, all but ending their season.

Nate Kingz topped the SU offense by hitting 11-of-18 shots from the floor, including all eight of his 2-point shots, to finish with 25 points.  Tyler Betsey had arguably his most productive performance of the season, finishing with 145 points on five 3’s and a season-best seven rebounds.  Donnie Freeman and Sadiq White Jr. each scored seven points before fouling out.  Naithan George handed out 11 assists, but missed all nine of his 3-point shots.

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