Orange Undone By Second-Half Seminoles Surge

Saturday, January 4

Tallahassee, FL

6 PM

Syracuse University

6-8,0-3ACC

Florida State

10-4,1-2ACC

Syracuse

Florida St.

1/4/2025 8:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Adrian Autry Press Conference Chris Bell Interview JJ Starling Interview Photo Gallery

Five Syracuse players scored in double figures Saturday, but the Orange (6-8, 0-3 ACC) fell, 90-74, to Florida State (10-4, 1-2 ACC) at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.

Freshman Donnie Freeman posted his sixth double-double of the campaign with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Chris Bell paced the Orange in scoring with 18 points. In his return from injury, J.J. Starling tallied 12 points for Syracuse. However, the Seminoles outscored the Orange by 14 in the second half to secure their first conference triumph of the campaign.

How The Game Was Decided
Florida State methodically extended a two-point halftime lead after intermission to take control of the game. A Malique Ewin jumper gave the Seminoles a 48-39 advantage, their largest in the contest to that point, less than three minutes into the period.

Bell and Kyle Cuffe Jr. tried to keep the Orange within striking distance, scoring the next 14 points for Syracuse, who trimmed the deficit to as few as four points on three different occasions. However, the Seminoles went up by as many as 18 in the final 10 minutes. Syracuse trailed by at least four over the final 18:07 of the contest.

Bell, Cuffe Jr. Keep Orange Afloat
With the Seminoles surging ahead in the opening stages of the second half, Bell and Cuffe Jr. helped quell Florida State's momentum. Bell, who had not made a 3-pointer in any of his last six appearances, went 3-of-3 from deep in the second half, including one that trimmed the Orange deficit to four with 11:59 left on the clock. His 18 points on the night were his most since he also scored 18 against Albany on Dec. 10.

Meanwhile, Cuffe Jr. reached double figures for the fourth time in the last six games behind eight second-half points. He knocked down a triple and added a three-point play in the opening six minutes of the period and converted a layup to pull Syracuse within four with 12:33 remaining.

Welcome Back, J.J.
Playing for the first time since Nov. 27, Starling returned to Syracuse's starting lineup to make an immediate impact. He knocked down his first attempt of the contest, a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, before drilling another jumper on the next Orange possession. With Starling on the floor to open the game, Syracuse established an early 12-10 advantage.

Starling, who missed the last seven games with a hand injury, finished the first half as Syracuse's leading scorer with seven points. He finished the night 5-of-16 from the field in 32 minutes of action.

Back-And-Forth First
The first half featured 12 lead changes and five ties with neither team going ahead by more than six points. After the Orange took their first lead, 12-10, the Seminoles responded with eight straight with baskets from four different players to seize their largest advantage of the frame. However, Syracuse answered with eight of the next nine points to go back in front, 21-19, a stretch capped by a trio of Bell free throws.

Bell struck again later in the half with a triple to push Syracuse back in front, 24-23, with 8:34 left in the period. After Ewin pushed the Seminoles to the lead with a basket on the next possession, Eddie Lampkin Jr. responded with a layup on the other end to give the Orange back the lead. Florida State rallied in the ensuing minutes to build a five-point advantage late, but a Lucas Taylor basket and back-to-back Freeman jumpers swung the score back in Syracuse's favor, 32-31.

Florida State went back ahead with 2:03 remaining after a pair of Jamir Watkins free throws before Freeman secured an offensive rebound and converted a layup to thrust the Orange back into the lead, 34-33. The final lead change of the half came on the next Florida State shot, with Daquan Davis burying a 3-pointer to give the Seminoles a 36-34 lead at intermission.

Notable Numbers

Freeman's 10 boards led the Orange, as the freshman has two double-doubles in the last three games.
Freshman Petar Majstorovic set a career high with seven rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass.
Taylor reached double figures for the second straight contest, finishing the game with 10 points. He knocked down a pair of triples and now has multiple 3-pointers in four consecutive outings.
Bell went 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, becoming the third Syracuse player this season to make 4+ triples in a game, joining Freeman and Elijah Moore.
The Orange knocked down 10 triples, their most in a game this season. Bell, Taylor and Starling all made multiple 3-pointers.
Syracuse surrendered 15 turnovers, marking the team's fourth straight outing with 15+ giveaways.
Florida State, who entered the day leading the ACC in blocks, rejected six Orange shots.
Four Seminoles scored double digits, led by Davis, who tallied 18 points. Watkins (16), Ewin (14) and Taylor Bol Bowen (14) also hit double figures.
The Seminoles went 23-of-31 from the free throw line, compared to a 12-of-17 effort by Syracuse.
After 12 first-half lead changes, Florida State remained in front the entire second half.

Up Next
The Orange are back home Tuesday for an ACC clash against Georgia Tech at the JMA Wireless Dome. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. 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 X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).

Gallery: (1-4-2025) Syracuse at Florida State