Syracuse Tops NC State in ACC Tournament
Greensboro, N.C. - Syracuse played stellar offense and defense during their first ACC tournament match-up against NC State. They easily handled the Wolfpack for an 89-68 win in the second round of the tournament. It was a huge win for the Orange and they now have a three-game winning streak going into the Quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
The Wolfpack struggled to slow down Buddy Boeheim and to make their own shots in the first half. The Orange went on a 12-1 run early in the first but NC State would make 8 of 14 to close out the half. NC State shot 41.9% in the first half but managed to miss 6 of 14 from three. No one from the wolfpack hit double figures in the first half and no one else from Syracuse had more than 5 points until the second half of the game, Boeheim closed out the first half with 20 points.
Then came the second half, when Syracuse took control of the game and dominated for the remainder of the second. The Wolfpack, who somehow managed to cut the lead to five at halftime, started the second half with four turnovers in its first three possessions. Syracuse collectively stepped up as a team and immediately got three straight triples from Quincy Guerrier, Alan Griffin and Joseph Girard III. Boeheim got back into rhythm and would get a rare four-point play to extend the lead to 16 at the 16:27 mark.
Syracuse would not have been able to keep that lead without non-starters stepping up to the plate once a few of the starters began having foul trouble. The amazing defense from sophomore Jesse Edwards who covered the mid-post, and he was not allowing NC State to get a rebound. Robert Braswell came off the bench to help on both ends, including an impressive three pointer in the final seconds of the shot clock. Both Braswell and Edwards were key contributors, beyond their stat line, that helped the Orange dominate the Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack dug themselves into a hole and even when they were able to get into a rhythm it was not enough to catch up the 57% shooting that Syracuse wad doing in the second half. Beyond Buddy Boeheim’s 27 points the Orange had 4 players finish in the double digits, Joe Girard finished with 14 points, Alan Griffin and Quincy Guerrier scored 12 points.
The Orange will face the top seeded Virginia Calivers on Thursday at noon EST.
