Howard Pours in Career-High 28 Against #5 Duke

Thursday, March 14

Charlotte, N.C.

9 PM

Syracuse University

20-13

Duke

27-5

Syracuse

Duke

3/14/2019 11:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A career-best 28 points for Frank Howard wasn't enough to push Syracuse (20-13) past #5/5 Duke (27-5) Thursday night and the Orange were defeated, 84-72, in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament.

Howard connected on 11-of-20 from the field, including four 3-pointers. Buddy Boeheim finished the night with 15 points, marking the freshman's second-consecutive game in double-digit scoring. Oshae Brissett tacked on 14 points to go with his team-best seven rebounds.

In his first game back from injury, Duke's Zion Williamson scored 29 points. He was a perfect 13-of-13 from the field and added 14 rebounds, for his 11^th double-double of the season.

HOW IT WAS DECIDED
A jumper from Elijah Hughes pulled the Orange within five points, 60-55, with 7:33 left in regulation. The Blue Devils retaliated with a 7-0 stretch that featured five points from Trey Jones and a layup by Williamson. Syracuse was unable to get closer than seven points the rest of the way.

FIRST HALF MOMENTUM
Duke led by as many as 17, 32-52, with 3:40 remaining in the first half. A 13-2 run, mainly led by Howard's performance, shifted the momentum in Syracuse's favor and cut the Blue Devils lead to six, 34-28. Howard had four of the Orange's five field goals in the three-minute stretch, including two 3-pointers. The lone other basket came on a trey by Boeheim that ended the half. 'Cuse kept the energy going in the second half, quickly shaving Duke's lead to a mere two points, 40-38.

THREE BALL CONTINUES TO BE KEY
Syracuse, who used 12 3-pointers to defeat Pitt last night, continued to rely on the deep ball against a sturdy 3-point defense from the Blue Devils. Duke ranks fifth nationally and second in the ACC, holding opponents to just a 29.2 shooting performance behind the arc. The Orange pushed well past that, ending the night with a 42.9 (9-of-21) look. 'Cuse continuously used the three ball to stay in the game, including back-to-back trey's from Boeheim that tied the game at 46.

OF NOTE

Duke leads the all-time series 9-6, which includes the series split between the two programs during the 2018-19 regular season.
The Blue Devils doubled up Syracuse in the paint, outscoring them 44-20.
Syracuse moved to 9-3 when making at least nine 3-pointers this season. It was also only the second game this season the Orange have shot above .400 from 3-point range and lost.
Howard's explosive performance moved him just inches away from 1,000 career points. He currently sit at 992.

UP NEXT
Boosted by their impressive resume, the Orange await their NCAA Tournament fate, to be announced Sunday, March 17. Selection Sunday will be broadcast live from 6 to 7 p.m. on CBS.