Syracuse mounts furious rally, but only after hole too big to escape against #14 North Carolina

Syracuse stayed competitive with #14 North Carolina for the first 17 minutes, but a late first half run pointed this game into blowout territory. The Tar Heels (18-4, 6-3) scored a dozen unanswered points to take a comfortable lead and eventually held a 32-point advantage before the Orange (13-10, 4-6 ACC) rallied frantically in the final eight minutes before falling, 87-77.

SU was extremely streaky on offense, logging the following marks from the floor before missing their final three attempts:

3-of-15

10-of-12

3-of-21

13-of-14

That second cold snap simply allowed Carolina to build a lead too large to overcome.

The Syracuse offensive hot streaks had even greater hot streaks within them, as they knocked down seven straight shots in the first half span and eight straight in the second half run.

That slow shooting start hindered SU in the opening minutes

The Orange offense was slow to get out of the gates, mustering just a single basket in the first five minutes while turning it over three times in eight possessions. As a result, UNC grabbed an early 9-2 lead. Shortly after, SU scored six out of seven points to pull within 12-10.

The Tar Heels continued making things difficult for the Syracuse offense, forcing five straight misses for the second time in the opening half to help them post an 11-2 run for a double-digit lead at 23-12 with under nine minutes left in the first half. After another UNC score, the Orange broke through with an 8-2 run to draw within seven.

SU continued to shoot well on offense, running their streak of made field goals to seven in closing within 34-29 with just over three minutes on the clock. North Carolina finished the half in style, however, hanging a dozen straight points before Donnie Freeman banked in a 3-pointer before the horn to make it a 46-32 game at halftime.

North Carolina put togther what should have been the finishing blow in the first half of the second session

The Tar Heels stitched together a half dozen straight points early in the second half to push the lead out to 20 at 56-36. A Syracuse jumper slowed the bleeding, but UNC made it a 22-4 avalanche that buried the Orange at 72-40 midway through the second half.

The Heels eased off the gas over the final seven minutes, allowing SU to have the better of play, shaving a 31-point deficit down to 14 with a little over two minutes to play. Syracuse continued charging back, getting within seven points with 1:20 to play when Nate Kingz made back-to-back 3-pointers.

The Orange would clip one more point off the margin, but North Carolina made four straight foul shots to more than offset a few rushed last-second attempts that missed the mark.

Freeman paced the Orange with 23 points, including 18 in the first half. Naithan George added 15 points while his backcourt mate J.J. Starling dropped in 13. Kiyan Anthony chipped in with ten points off the bench.

Star freshman Caleb Wilson led the way for Carolina with 22 points and missed a double-double by a single rebound. Henri Veesaar had no such issues, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jonathan Powell had a dozen points before fouling out while Luka Bogavac added ten.

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