Syracuse Edged By Baylor in NCAA Tournament

Thursday, March 21

Salt Lake City, UT

9:57 PM

Syracuse University

Baylor

3/22/2019 12:14:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Press Conference Photo Gallery

SALT LAKE CITY – In a contest that featured 28 3-point baskets, Syracuse (20-14) was edged by Baylor (20-13), 78-69, Thursday evening in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Orange connected on 12-of-29 (.414) from long-distance but the Bears did them four better, hitting 16-of-34 (.471).

Elijah Hughes topped Syracuse performers with a career-high 25 points that included six 3-pointers. Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett tacked on double-digit efforts with 16 and 14 points, respectively. The trio of Hughes, Battle and Brissett accounted for 55 of the Orange's 69 points.

Baylor was led by Makai Mason's 22 points and a team-best six rebounds. Jared Butler and Mario Kegler rounded out the Bears' double-digit scorers with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

HOW IT WAS DECIDED
In a back-and-forth game that included six ties and 12 lead changes, Baylor broke away with an 11-2 run late in the second half that produced a 68-59 lead. The Orange were able to chip away, thanks to six unanswered points by Hughes that cut the deficit to three, 68-65. The Bears closed things out by tallying 10 of the final 14 points in the contest.

FAST AND FURIOUS
Baylor kicked off the fast-paced first half with three early 3's that led to a 9-2 lead. The Bears continued a long-distance assault and were 5-of-7 from behind the arc as the advantage swelled to 15-4. Down 15-4, Syracuse fired back with its own 3-point attack as Hughes converted two straight. With Baylor ahead, 25-19, the Orange answered with a 12-2 streak. Battle drained a baseline 3-pointer and was fouled. The subsequent four-point play put Syracuse ahead, 28-25. The score remained close for the remainder of the half. Two free throws from Buddy Boeheim tightened the score to 38-37 Baylor, heading into the intermission.

THREE-POINT BARRAGE
Prior to the first media timeout, the two teams had combined for nine 3-pointers nearly six minutes into the game. The hot shooting did not slow down, as both teams ended the half with above a 50-percent shooting performance. Baylor was 13-of-23 (.565) from the field, which featured 10 3-pointers, while the Orange hit 12-of-22 (.545) overall with nine 3-pointers.

OF NOTE

Syracuse's nine 3-pointers in the first half were the most in a half since the Orange recorded 10 in the second half against Georgia Tech on March 4, 2017. It was the most in a first half since the Dec. 7, 2013 matchup against Binghamton.
The Orange's 12 treys tied the school's top NCAA tournament standard. 'Cuse also had 12 against Gonzaga on March 21, 2010.
Baylor's 16 3-pointers were a Syracuse opponent record in an NCAA Tournament game. The previous mark was 15 by Southern Illinois on March 17, 1995.
Syracuse is now 64-40 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
In his third consecutive start and first NCAA Tournament appearance, Boeheim played a career-high 39 minutes.
Battle's 16-points moved him to 1,647 in his career, 13 points shy of 15th all-time at Syracuse.
Paschal Chukwu had a game-high eight rebounds.
Hughes concluded the season with 87 3-pointers, the 11^th best single-season mark in Orange history.
Syracuse reached 20 wins for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.