Syracuse Misses Quad One Opportunity, Falls at Georgia Tech

The Orange got behind early, took a lead into halftime, then was blown out in the second half.

Syracuse missed one of its last opportunities for a significant NCAA Tournament resume booster as they fell 84-77 at Georgia Tech on Saturday. The loss drops the Orange to 13-8 (7-7) on the season. 

The Yellow Jackets jumped out an early lead as Jim Boeheim picked up a technical foul within the first couple of minutes. The advantage was extended to as many as 13 before Syracuse went on a 23-5 run to end the first half and take a five point lead into intermission. 

Georgia Tech used an 18-4 run midway through the second half to pull away. Syracuse was unable to mount a serious threat after that. Tech outscored Syracuse in the paint 54-24 as Moses Wright was the best player on the floor throughout. He finished with a game high 31 points and 16 rebounds. 

The Yellow Jackets shot over 63% from the floor in the second half as they hung 50 points on the scoreboard. 

Marek Dolezaj was in foul trouble all afternoon, fouling out in just 10 minutes of action. Jesse Edwards and John Bol Ajak filled in for him. Edwards had seven points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes. Alan Griffin led Syracuse with 26 points, 20 of which came in the first half. Buddy Boeheim was just 1-5 from beyond the arc and finished with 12 points. 

Kadary Richmond played 26 minutes off the bench and finished with two points, six assists and four rebounds. He struggled to finish at the rim though, finishing 0-5 from the field each of which was in the paint. 

Syracuse is next in action against North Carolina in the Dome on Monday. That game tips at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.