Syracuse Dominates Second Half, Wins at Florida State
Syracuse dominated the second half on both ends of the floor to secure a 76-67 win at Florida State Wednesday night. With the victory, the Orange improved to 15-10 (8-6) on the season. Next up for Syracuse is a home matchup with #22 NC State on Tuesday. That game tips at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
Slow starts have been an issue for Syracuse all season, but this game started just the opposite. The Orange raced out to a 7-0 lead before playing sloppy basketball over the last 15 minutes of the first half. Florida State took advantage by dominating the glass and making four of its last six three point attempts to take a 35-29 advantage in the locker room.
In the second half, Syracuse was much, much better offensively, defensively and on the boards. A 10-0 run in the middle of the half gave the Orange control and it cruised down the stretch to pick up the road victory. Syracuse outscored Florida State 47-32 after intermission, including shooting 53% from the floor compared to just 35% for the Seminoles.
Florida State won the rebounding battle by eight in the first half, but the Orange completely flipped the script in the second with a 13 rebound advantage.
In the first half, Joe Girard carried the offense with 13 points on 5-7 shooting. In the second, he added 13 more but Judah Mintz and Jesse Edwards both got going as well. Mintz finished with 16 points and six assists, while Edwards contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Chris Bell had one of his better all around games of the season even if his outside shot was not falling. He was just 1-9 from three point range, but had 10 points and six rebounds along with stellar defense to be a key part of Syracuse's win.
Florida State was just 9-35 from three point range on the night. Matthew Cleveland led the Seminoles with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
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