‘Cuse Can’t Hold Off UNC, 93-83

Monday, January 26

Chapel Hill, NC

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

14-7, 5-3ACC

North Carolina

17-4, 7-1ACC

Team	1	2	F
Syracuse	40	43	83
North Carolina	35	58	93

1/26/2015 9:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

‘Cuse played one of its best games of the year but couldn’t keep up with the UNC offense

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Trevor Cooney tied his season-best effort with 28 points and Rakeem Christmas had 22 points and 12 rebounds but it was not enough to get Syracuse (14-7, 5-3 ACC) past #13/14 North Carolina (17-4, 7-1 ACC) and the Tar Heels won, 93-83, in the Dean Smith Center.

Cooney And Christmas Lead The Orange
Cooney equaled his scoring output against Florida State and had 15 of his 28 points in the first half. Christmas scored in double digits for the 20th time in 21 games and tallied his seventh double-double this season. Michael Gbinije finished with 16 points and Tyler Roberson posted his seventh night in double-figures with 13 points. Both finished with a team leading five assists.

The Underdog Has Bite
Tied at seven in the first, Syracuse converted its stifling defense into offense with 9-0 burst powered by five points from Cooney and three Tar Heel turnovers. The run was produced in just under three minutes and gave the Orange a 16-9 lead with 11:44 until the break. UNC quickly fought back to lock the score at 19 but back-to-back threes from Cooney and Gbinije propelled Syracuse to a five-point advantage.

The half continued to be a back-and-forth battle but it finished all 'Cuse. Syracuse outscored North Carolina 11-3 in the final 1:45 of action to hold a 40-35 lead over the Tar Heels at the half. Roberson's steal and lead pass gave Kaleb Joseph a breakaway layup with one second left and four points in the stretch.

Cooney netted three-threes in the process of posting 15 points in the first half. Christmas entered the locker room with eight points and seven rebounds. Gbinije posted as many points to go along with four assists. Syracuse's defense caused 13 turnovers and the Orange recorded nine steals in the opening stanza.

Firepower Falls Short
The battle continued after the intermission and Syracuse was able to fend off North Carolina for the first 11:20 of the latter half. An 8-1, Tar-Heel run gave UNC its first lead of the half and a 68-62 advantage with 7:12 to go.

Syracuse pulled within two points on four occasions, but North Carolina always had an answer. On its final push, Syracuse cut the deficit to two with a Roberson tip-in, cutting the deficit 74-72 but he fouled out a minute later. The Tar Heels built their lead to as many as 11, eventually defeating the Orange, 93-83.

Marcus Paige had 22 points while the trio of Nate Britt, Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks each had 17 for North Carolina ... The Tar Heels made 9-of-16 3-point attempts (.563) with Paige and Britt each connecting four times.

Game Notes: Christmas was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line ... The 10 free-throws made was a personal best ... Syracuse forced North Carolina into a season-high 20 turnovers ... The Orange turned those miscues into 21 points ... The Tar Heels shot .554 from the field, the top mark against the Orange this season ... North Carolina had a commanding 42-27 advantage in rebounding ... It marked the first time Syracuse had played North Carolina in the Smith Center.