Syracuse Tops NC State on the Road

The Orange controlled the second half in an important victory.

Syracuse hit its first nine shots of the second half to turn a three point deficit into a double digit lead and held on down the stretch at NC State for an 89-82 win. With the victory, Syracuse improves to 11-11 (5-6) on the season, while the Wolfpack drops to 10-13 (3-9). Next up for the Orange is Louisville in the Carrier Dome on Saturday. 

Syracuse shot 74% from the floor in the second half including making 7-9 from beyond the arc. The Orange held NC State to 38% shooting after halftime and just 31% from three point range after the Wolfpack seemed incapable of missing in the first half. 

NC State held a three point lead at intermission, and then hit a three to start the second half. That is when the Orange took over. Syracuse went on a 12-0 run to take a six point lead less than three minutes in. A few minutes later the lead would swell to as many as 11. 

The Wolfpack would not go quietly, however, as an 8-0 spurt trimmed the lead to two. NC State was not able to reclaim the lead, however, and Syracuse made big shots down the stretch to secure the win. 

This was a balanced offensive attack from Syracuse as all five starters were in double figures. Joe Girard was tremendous running the offense, and finished with 18 points, eight assists and just one turnover. Jesse Edwards was dominant in the paint all night on both ends. He had 19 pints, six rebounds and three blocks. Cole Swider had another strong outing with 19 points on 7-9 shooting, including 4-4 from beyond the arc, to go along with eight rebounds. 

Buddy Boeheim added 17 points while Jimmy Boeheim contributed 16. 

Terquavion Smith led NC State with 25 points including seven made threes. Dereon Seabron added 17 points. 

The Orange outrebounded NC State 33-30 and outscored NC State in the paint 36-24.