Comeback Falls Short For Orange Against Longhorns

Thursday, November 21

Brooklyn, N.Y.

7 PM

Syracuse University

3-1,0-0ACC

Texas

4-1,0-0SEC

Syracuse

Texas

Comeback Falls Short For Orange Against Longhorns

11/21/2024 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Adrian Autry Press Conference Lampkin Interview Starling Interview Kiyan Anthony Interview Photo Gallery

Behind 16 points from J.J. Starling and 14 from Eddie Lampkin Jr., Syracuse (3-1) almost completed an impressive comeback against Texas (4-1), but fell short, 70-66, in the semifinals of the UKG Legends Classic on Thursday night at the Barclays Center.

Syracuse trailed by as many as 16 late in the first half, and was behind 41-30 at the intermission, but battled all the way back to hold a lead with under four minutes remaining. Texas recovered in the closing minutes and made six consecutive free throws to survive the furious Orange rally.

How The Game Was Decided
After Syracuse took its first lead of the game, 59-58, with just over four minutes remaining in the second half, the Longhorns responded on their next possession, with freshman Tre Johnson connecting on a contested jumper to push Texas back in front, 60-59. Starling nudged Syracuse ahead by one with a layup on the other end, but the Longhorns again had the answer, with consecutive baskets by Chendall Weaver and Jordan Pope propelling Texas to the lead, 64-61.

Jyare Davis cut the Orange deficit to just one with a pair of free throws before four straight makes at the line by Johnson put Texas up, 67-63. Starling hit a baseline jumper with 15 seconds left to bring Syracuse within two, and on the ensuing inbound attempt, Jaquan Carlos stole the ball and earned a trip to the line. The senior point guard could only split a pair of foul shots, and Johnson iced the game for Texas with two more successful free throws on the other end.

Lampkin Jr. Sparks Rally
With Texas ahead 50-37 in the second half, Lampkin Jr. sparked a Syracuse surge. The center took advantage of three straight Texas turnovers with a personal 7-0 run to bring the Orange within six. Kaden Shedrick responded with a bucket for Texas out of a timeout, but Lampkin Jr. found Davis on the ensuing Orange possession for a layup to make the score 52-46 in favor of the Longhorns.

Following a Chris Bell 3-pointer that brought the Orange within three, Lampkin Jr. went back to work in the paint, rolling in another layup to make it a one-point game, 52-51. Later in the period, Lampkin Jr. made a free throw to give Syracuse a 59-58 lead, its first of the contest, with just over four minutes remaining.

Texas Controls First Half
Syracuse made a late push to close a first half in which the Longhorns never trailed. Texas scored the game's first nine points to force a Syracuse timeout and went on to build a 22-8 advantage. The Orange got back to within eight after a Donnie Freeman layup, but Texas went on to stretch its margin to 16, the largest of the period, in the closing minutes. However, a Starling dunk and a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Freeman cut the Texas lead to 11 at the intermission, 41-30.

Notable Numbers

Of Lampkin Jr.'s 14 points, 12 came in the second half. He also led the Orange in assists for the second straight game with six.
Following a 49-minute effort in Syracuse's double-overtime victory over Youngstown State, Starling went the distance against the Longhorns, playing all 40 minutes. He went 7-of-17 from the field while adding five boards and four assists.
Davis and Bell both scored 11 points. Davis added a team-best seven rebounds, while Bell led the Orange with two blocks.
Freeman finished with nine points in 15 minutes of action. The freshman shot 4-of-6 from the field on the night.
Naheem McLeod saw his first action and contributed a basket, a blocked shot and an offensive rebound.
After Texas shot 61-percent from the field in the first half (17-of-28), Syracuse held the Longhorns to a 33-percent clip (10-of-30) in the second.
Arthur Kaluma and Tre Johnson both had 16 points to lead Texas. Kaluma also had 10 rebounds to secure a double-double before fouling out.
This was just the second ever meeting between Syracuse and Texas. The Orange won the only previous encounter, in the semifinals of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. Syracuse defeated Texas and then won the national championship by beating Kansas.

Up Next
Syracuse will face Texas Tech Friday night in the third-place game of the UKG Legends Classic. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

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 X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).