Orange Edge Irish For Fourth Straight Win

Wednesday, January 22

South Bend, Ind.

7 PM

Syracuse University

12-7,5-3ACC

Notre Dame

11-7,2-5ACC

Syracuse

Notre Dame

1/22/2020 9:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Jim Boeheim Press Conference

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A 26-point effort from Elijah Hughes and necessary free throws down the stretch gave Syracuse (12-7, 5-3 ACC) its fourth consecutive conference victory Wednesday night, 84-82, over Notre Dame in South Bend. The win was the second on the road in five days for the Orange over teams that defeated them at home earlier this season.

It was the 30^th time in 52 meetings between the 'Cuse and the Irish that the Orange have come out on top.

ORANGE CLUTCH FROM THE LINE
With the score knotted at 70 and 4:54 to play in regulation, five different scorers (Hughes, Buddy Boeheim, Quincy Guerrier, Marek Dolezaj, Joseph Girard III) and eight made free throws helped Syracuse outscore Notre Dame, 14-12. The Orange began the stretch on an 8-0 run, but the Irish kept fighting, scoring 12 points in the final 36 seconds and forcing 'Cuse to go a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. Girard, the nation's leading free-throw shooter, sealed the win for the Orange with two makes from the charity stripe with nine seconds remaining.

Syracuse made 14-of-17 free throws on the night.

OFFENSE EARLY AND OFTEN
The contest began with a furious offensive start on both sides. The teams were a combined 10-for-14 from the field in the opening 4:08 and the Fighting Irish took a narrow 14-12 lead. Hughes made all three of his field goal attempts, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Notre Dame seniors John Mooney and T.J. Gibbs each scored six points for their team in that stretch.

A 20-9 run for the Irish pushed their advantage to 30-19 with 10:45 to play in the first half. The home team converted 10 of its first 16 shots and five-of-eight 3-balls.

The Orange answered with a 13-0 run, assembled by five points from Guerrier and 3-point shots made by Hughes and Girard, to jump ahead 32-30. After Notre Dame stopped the bleeding with a three of its own, Girard knocked down another, giving the freshman 11 points with 6:51 still to play before the half. Hughes reached double figures for the 19^th time this season during the sequence.

Syracuse closed the half on a 7-0 tear in the final 1:26 of action, and outscored the Irish 27-12 in the final 9:44 to bring a 46-42 lead into the locker room. Three fouls for Buddy Boeheim forced coach Jim Boeheim to turn to freshman Brycen Goodine off the bench, who knocked down his only field goal attempt and grabbed two boards. Hughes set the pace for all players with 15 points in the first 20 minutes and Girard finished with 11, both players knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. Each team drilled seven 3-balls in total in the first.

ORANGE TAKE CONTROL
A 9-2 Orange burst to start the second half, with seven points coming from Hughes, gave 'Cuse a 55-44 lead and forced Notre Dame to call a timeout. Syracuse extended the cushion to 13 following a 7-0 scoring spree, six of the points coming out of the hands of Bourama Sidibe. The Orange were 9-of-15 shooting from the field and outrebounded the Irish 11-4 in the first 8:26 of second half play.

IRISH TAKE IT BACK
The Irish swung back with a 18-4 offensive explosion to regain the lead for the first time since late in the first half. Sophomore guard Dane Goodwin led Notre Dame with seven points in that span.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

The Orange got double-digit scoring out of four players (Hughes - 26, Girard - 15, Sidibe - 12, Boeheim - 10).
Girard set a career-high in rebounds with nine. Syracuse won the battle on the glass, 41-34.
Sidibe tied his season-high with 12 points and set a new career-high in field goals (6). He was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field.
The Orange outscored the Irish in the paint, 36-26.
Notre Dame buried 13 3-pointers, compared to eight for 'Cuse.
Hughes scored 20+ points for the seventh time this season.
Irish senior John Mooney recorded a double-double (21 points, 13 rebounds).
The Orange finished the contest with six steals. Notre Dame only had three swipes.

UP NEXT
After 10 days away, the Orange return to the Dome Saturday, Jan. 25 to host Pittsburgh. The game begins at noon and will be available on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and the ACC Network.

Fans unsure if their cable provider carries ACCN are encouraged to visit GetACCN.com

Tickets for Pittsburgh and all regular-season home games are on sale now online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Dome Box Office located in the Ensley Athletic Center.

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