FSU Defeats Syracuse With Late Finish

Tuesday, January 23

Syracuse, N.Y.

7 PM

Syracuse University

13-6,4-4ACC

Florida State

12-7,6-2ACC

Florida St.

Syracuse

1/23/2024 9:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Adrian Autry Press Conference Judah Mintz Interview JJ Starling Interview Photo Gallery

Florida State (12-7, 6-2) used a 15-1 run late in the second half and defeated Syracuse (13-6, 4-4), 85-69 triumph in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Sophomore guard Judah Mintz produced a team-leading 28 points for the Orange while the Seminoles had a 27-point performance by junior guard Jamir Watkins.

Syracuse lost at home for the first time in 10 Dome contests while Florida State won for the sixth time in seven games.

WHEN THE GAME WAS DECIDED
Syracuse led, 54-51 with 12:53 remaining, when the tide turned in Florida State's favor. Six unanswered points from the visitors gave the Seminoles the lead for good. The Orange were within five points when Florida State stormed ahead with its 15-1 run. Six different players contributed to the 15 points.

SEMINOLES STRIKE IN SECOND HALF
After a Florida State layup to start the second half, the Orange scored eight unanswered points to go ahead, 44-37, with 16:31 to go. The Seminoles clawed back with a 9-2 run to tie the score at 48-48 with 13:59 left. Syracuse took a four-point lead with 13:30 to go before Florida State stormed to go ahead, 55-54, with 10:53 remaining. The Seminoles did not let up their advantage for the rest of the game, pushing it to double-digits with 5:29 to go.

ORANGE EMERGE AHEAD AFTER SEE-SAW FIRST HALF
The opening 20 minutes featured six ties and six lead changes. Mintz scored 12 points and sophomore guard J.J. Starling had eight points in the first half for the Orange. Watkins helped Florida State stay close with a squad-leading 12 points.

After the Seminoles shot seven-of-12 from the field in the first nine minutes, Syracuse held Florida State to just seven-of-22 in the rest of the half.

Down 23-15 with less than seven minutes left in the first half, Mintz took a lead pass from sophomore guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. and dunked, igniting a 10-3 rally that eventually knotted the score at 26-26.

Both sides struggled to convert from beyond the arc in the first half, the Seminoles made three-of-11 and the Orange went one-for-nine from 3-point range. Syracuse went to the intermission with a 24-18 board advantage. Syracuse owned a slight edge going into the intermission 36-35.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

The Orange were hurt by 16 turnovers.
Sophomore center Maliq Brown scored eight points and tied his career-high with 12 rebounds.
Junior center Benny Williams grabbed a season-best eight rebounds.
Sophomore guard J.J. Starling contributed 10 points and had his third consecutive game of double-figure scoring.
The Orange won the rebound battle, grabbing 38 boards to Florida State's 35.
Syracuse made just one-of-14 3-pointers in the contest.
Florida State finished the game with 24 fouls. All but one of 12 players contributed to the total.

UP NEXT
Syracuse will welcome NC State to the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday, January 27. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ACC Network.

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).