#11 Cavaliers Hold Off Late Orange Comeback

Saturday, January 7

Charlottesville, VA

5 PM

Syracuse University

10-6,3-2ACC

Virginia

11-3,3-2ACC

Syracuse

Virginia

1/7/2023 7:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Joseph Girard III scored in double digits (19 points) for the ninth consecutive game but Syracuse (10-6, 3-2) could not hold off #11 Virginia (11-3, 3-2) in a 73-66 loss on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va..

The Orange trailed by as many as 23 points in the defeat before battling back within seven in the final minutes.

In addition to Girard's effort, Judah Mintz had 18 points, Maliq Brown contributed 10 points and eight rebounds, and Jesse Edwards had 10 rebounds.

HOW THE GAME WAS DECIDED
Virginia scored the first 12 points of the second half and effectively put the game out of Syracuse's reach. The Cavs' Armann Franklin opened the second half with his fourth 3-pointer of the night to start the run. Ben Vander Plas closed the commanding stretch with another 3-pointer, which expanded Virginia's lead to 46-26 with 16 minutes left in the contest. UVA's advantage swelled as high as 23 points in the Orange defeat.

HOT 'HOOS
Franklin was the force behind Virginia's blazing 11-2 start to the game, as he nailed down a trio of 3-pointers across the first two and half minutes of action.

The 'Hoos continued to utilize the 3-point attack to control the game. Back-to-back three-pointers from Reece Beekman and Isaac Mckneely sent UVA on a 7-0 run. The additional point in the stretch was a single make by Kadin Shedrick at the free-throw line. After Sherick's conversion, Virginia led 20-9 with 12:42 remaining in the opening frame.

FRESHMAN STEP UP
The Orange scored the final eight points over the last two and a half minutes of the first half. Three different Syracuse freshmen added points, as Justin Taylor and Brown contributed two each and Mintz scored four. Two of Mintz's four points came at the free-throw line and cut SU's deficit to single digits, sending the game into halftime at 35-26.

LATE SURGE
SU held Virginia scoreless for nearly five minutes while putting up 13 points, its largest spurt of the matchup. Mintz scored seven of those points and Brown closed out the stretch with a make at the charity stripe to bring the Orange within nine of the Cavilers, 57-48, with under five remaining in the contest.

A pair of threes from Girard cut the 'Hoos edge to eight points, 64-56 with 2:15 remaining. Over the last minute of action, the Orange managed to close the gap to eight points twice. Girard made two shots at the line with 46 ticks left, cutting the 'Virginia edge to 71-63.

Chris Bell's 3-pointer with 37 seconds left put the Orange within seven, the closest they came to Virginia in the half. Neither team scored the rest of the way.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

John Bol Ajak earned his first career start, replacing regular Benny Williams who was out due to illness.
Virginia expanded its lead in the all-time series against Syracuse to 12-6
Franklin led the Cavaliers with 16 points and six boards.
Symir Torrence dished out five assist, the most he has had since totalling five versus Oakland on Dec. 6th, 2022.
Mounir Hima recorded four blocks against the 'Hoos.
Mintz logged his eighth straight game of double-figures points.

UP NEXT
The Orange return to the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday night (Jan. 11), as they host the Virginia Tech Hokies. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. and the pairing will air live on RSN.

TICKETS
Syracuse men's basketball tickets are available online (cuse.com/tickets), by phone (1-888-DOMETIX), and at the Dome Box Office (Gate B).

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).