From the Locker Room: Jesse Edwards Notre Dame Postgame

Syracuse's star center discusses the Orange's comeback win.

Syracuse center Jesse Edwards discusses the Orange's comeback win over Notre Dame in the video above.

GAME RECAP

Syracuse rallied from a 12 point second half deficit to top Notre Dame 78-73 inside the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. With the win, the Orange improved to 12-6 (5-2) on the season. Next up is a tough road game at Miami on Monday.

Notre Dame was on fire for most of the game from the outside, and used that hot shooting to jump out to a double digit lead in the second half. Syracuse countered with utilizing the full court press to get the Irish out of their offensive rhythm and worked quite well. Even though Notre Dame was able to break the press, it sped them up, shortened their possessions and led to contested shots.

The Irish made five of its first seven threes to open the second half, but made just one of its last 12 as the Orange defense tightened up after the press was installed. A 14-4 run got Syracuse back in it and key plays down the stretch pushed the Orange to victory.

During the stretch that got Syracuse back in the game, a lineup of four freshmen sparked the run. Judah Mintz, Justin Taylor, Chris Bell and Maliq Brown each made key plays on both ends.

Bell led Syracuse in scoring with 17 points including five made threes, but his defensive rotations in the second half may have been more important as he helped prevent the Irish from getting open looks in the final 12 minutes. Judah Mintz struggled shooting the ball for most of the night (3-9 from the field), but finished with 14 points thanks to eight free throws. While Mintz may not have had his best scoring night, he had a major impact by dishing out eight assists and only turning it over once.

Maliq Brown scored a career high 15 points on 7-8 shooting, while Jesse Edwards had another double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds to go with four blocks. Taylor played only 12 minutes, but hit two key shots during Syracuse's run.

Syracuse shot 52% from the field overall out-rebounded Notre Dame 34-29 and outscored the Irish 36-20 in the paint.

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