3 takeaways from Syracuse’s 79-78 win over SMU

Syracuse notched its second win in a row, downing SMU on Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome, 79-78.

Here are three takeaways as the Orange improved to 15-11 (6-7 ACC) on the season.

The front-court battle

Near the top of every team's scouting report on SMU is 7-foot-2 center Samet Yigitoglu.

The Turkish center caused havoc for the Orange, scoring eight points and pulling down three rebounds in the first half.

But the Orange remained aggressive, and Yigitoglu went to the bench late in the first half after collecting two fouls. He would end up fouling out eight minutes into the second half, and played just 19 minutes, with 11 points and four rebounds.

Aside from starting center William Kyle III guarding Yigitoglu, the Orange also had sophomore forward Donnie Freeman play center at times. With him out, SU took advantage.

“With him being off the court, it definitely changes a lot for them,” Freeman said. “He’s 7-2. When you have a big guy like that, and he comes out of the game, it definitely changes the whole dynamic of the game for the other team."

After Yigitoglu was forced out of the game, Syracuse out-rebounded SMU on the defensive glass 10-6, which was pivotal in the comeback. On the afternoon, SU was only a -6 in the rebounding department.

Shooting differences

Both Syracuse and SMU struggled on offense in the first half. SMU, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, went into the locker room shooting just 2-9 from deep and 47% from the field. One key factor of SMU’s slower offense was point guard Boopie Miller being held scoreless in the first half.

Syracuse did not look much better, shooting just 38% from the field.

SMU adjusted first, and took a 39-35 halftime lead and ballooned it to a 12-point lead with 12:05 to go.

But over a stretch of five minutes, SU went 4-5 from beyond the arc, and Tyler Betsey's 3-pointer with 3:50 left pulled the Orange to within 76-75.

“That stretch we had, big shot out to Kiyan (Anthony) and Tyler Betsey,” Kingz said. “They hit timely and big, big shots down the stretch.”

Kiyan’s comeback

Syracuse freshman guard Kiyan Anthony shook off a tough week.

After receiving the first DNP-CD of his career against Virginia, and playing just 14 minutes in a double-overtime win over California on Wednesday, Anthony made his presence known on Saturday.

He became the catalyst for the Syracuse comeback, hitting two key 3-pointers and a strong drive that resulted in a conventional 3-point play that gave SU a brief 72-71 lead with 5:40 to go. Autry decided to leave Anthony in, and he played 24 minutes compared to just 19 minutes for starting shooting guard JJ Starling.

“I thought Kiyan really gave us a huge boost.” Autry said, “When he came in, I thought physically, he gave us a boost on defense.

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