Bell, Copeland Combine For 51 in Win at NC State

Tuesday, February 20

Raleigh, NC

7 PM

Syracuse University

17-10,8-8ACC

NC State

16-10,8-7ACC

Syracuse

NC State

Bell, Copeland Combine For 51 in Win at NC State

2/20/2024 9:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Chris Bell Interview Quadir Copeland Interview Photo Gallery

Sophomores Chris Bell (26 points), a forward, and swingman Quadir Copeland (25) combined for 51 points and helped Syracuse (17-10, 8-8 ACC) achieve victory against NC State (16-10, 8-7), 87-83, in the PNC Arena on Tuesday night.

Bell made eight 3-pointers, all in the first half. His performance was one short of tying the most 3-pointers made in a game in program history. Copeland's 25 points represented a career-best scoring effort.

Guard Judah Mintz, a sophomore, surpassed 1,000 career points with his 15 points tonight. He hit the mark in just 59 games to tie George Hicker for the seventh fastest Syracuse player to cross the 1,000-point threshold.

The Orange scored 55 first half points, which was the first time Syracuse scored that many in one half since scoring 55 second half points in a 94-72 win against Wake Forest on Jan. 29, 2022.

WHEN THE GAME WAS DECIDED
The Orange took the lead less than two minutes into the game and held it until 5:21 left. With Syracuse ahead 10 points and 8:38 on the clock, graduate guard DJ Horne scored six of a 12-2 run for the Wolfpack that evened the score at 76-76 with 5:21 to go. The score was knotted again at 83-83 with 2:10 remaining. Both sides missed multiple attempts to take the lead. With 15 seconds left, Copeland was fouled on the way to the basket. He made both at the line and put the Orange in front. Syracuse played stout defense and forced Horne to miss a jumper, which was rebounded by Mintz. He was fouled and went two-of-two from the charity stripe to secure the Orange victory.

RAINING FIRST HALF THREES
3-pointers were pouring in to start the game. Bell drained eight straight 3-pointers and finished the first half eight-of-nine. Horne started four-of-four from long range and finished the affair six-of-eight on 3-point attempts.

Bell cashed three corner 3-pointers to score all nine of the Orange's points in the first four minutes and gave Syracuse a 9-2 lead. Horne hit back-to-back threes to cut their deficit to one, 9-8, with 16:04 in the first half. Bell knocked down two more from long range in a 10-point rally that gave Syracuse a 19-8 advantage with 13:37 to go in the first period. The Orange kept the advantage for the remainder of the first half and extended it to 15 points before the intermission.

WOLFPACK COMEBACK LATE IN SECOND HALF
Mintz and Copeland had 15 and 13 points, respectively, in the second half. They combined for 28 of Syracuse's 32 points in the final 20 minutes.

The Orange led by as many as 16 points with 18:41 remaining in the game. Syracuse held a 15-point advantage with 15:55 left in the contest. Junior forward Ben Middlebrooks and Horne contributed to seven consecutive points for NC State to bring Syracuse's lead to single digits, 64-56, with 14:12 to go. The Orange were ahead, 74-64, with 9:06 remaining before Horne scored six in a 12-2 run that evened the score at 76-76. NC State had a slight edge with 3:15 left, 82-81. It was the first lead for the home team since making the first basket of the game. The Orange regained the lead after a Mintz layup and did not trail for the rest of the affair.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Bell had 26 points in the first half. The last time a Syracuse performer scored that many in a half was when Elijah Hughes had 26 first half points in a 97-63 win at Georgia Tech on Dec. 7, 2019.
Mintz emerged into the top 10 in program history for free throws made (seventh, 175) in a season. He went seven-of-seven from the line in the contest.
The Orange made 18-of-19 (.947) from the foul line, their best mark at the charity stripe this season.
Syracuse stood victorious in both games of the home-and-home series with NC State.
The Orange own a 14-6 advantage in the all-time series against the Wolfpack.
Hornes scored a season-high 32 points for NC State.

UP NEXT
Syracuse returns home to square off against Notre Dame in the JMA Wireless Dome on February 24. Tipoff is set for noon and the game will be televised on ESPN.

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).

Gallery: (2-20-2024) Syracuse MBB v NC State