Syracuse Falters in Overtime, Loses to St. John's in Empire Classic Championship
A 16-2 second half run midway through the second half turned a game Syracuse was controlling into a loss. St. John's stormed back behind that run and, despite the Orange pushing the game into overtime, made enough plays in overtime to secure the 76-69 win. Syracuse drops to 3-2 on the season with the loss. Next up is Bryant back in the Dome on Saturday. That game is scheduled for a 4:00 pm tip.
Syracuse was the better team the entire first half, despite Joe Girard going scoreless. Judah Mintz was excellent and closed the half on a traditional three point play in the final seconds to give the Orange a six point halftime advantage. Syracuse pushed the lead to as much as 10 in the second half, but St. John's got back into it as the Orange went cold offensively.
Despite that 16-2 second half run giving the Red Storm its first lead of the game, Syracuse did not go quietly. The Orange rallied to tie the game with a little over a minute to go and actually had two possessions after that with a chance to win the game. However, those possessions turned into a shot clock violation and a Symir Torrence contested fadeaway jumper that missed at the regulation buzzer.
In overtime, it stayed close until the final two minutes. After Joe Girard missed the front end of a one and one that would have tied the game, St. John's pushed the lead to six and that all but ended things. The Red Storm is now a perfect 6-0 on the young season.
Andre Curbelo led St. John's with 23 points on 9-13 shooting including 3-3 from beyond the arc. He added six assists as well. Center Joel Soriano had 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Mintz led Syracuse with 20 points on 7-17 shooting. Jesse Edwards added 18 points and eight rebounds. Benny Williams had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards to go along with four assists. Chris Bell scored 12 points for his second straight game in double figures. Mounir Hima provided a spark off the bench with four points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots. Girard struggled all night going just 1-10 from the field and finished with just four points.
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