Syracuse Drops Overtime Thriller to #3/2 Houston

Monday, November 24

Las Vegas

6 PM

Syracuse University

4-1,0-0ACC

Houston

6-0,0-0Big 12

OT 1

Syracuse

Houston

Syracuse Drops Overtime Thriller to #3/2 Houston

11/24/2025 8:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Despite rallying with an 11-0 run over the final three minutes to force overtime, Syracuse (4-1) suffered its first loss of the season on Monday evening, falling 78-74 to #3/2 Houston (6-0) in the opening round of the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.

Sophomore Tyler Betsey, who knocked down a three with less than a minute to go to help force the extra period, finished with a career-high 16 points. Senior William Kyle III recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.

Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan paced the Houston offense, scoring 26 points apiece.

How the Game was Decided
Houston appeared to gain control of the contest after earning a 67-56 lead with 3:06 remaining. The Orange fought back with two dunks from Kyle III sandwiched around baskets from senior J.J. Starling and Betsey that shaved the margin to 67-64 and 1:38 on the clock. Syracuse's defense posted another stop and Betsey's 3-pointer at the other end knotted things at 67-67 at the :55 second mark. Uzan misfired with 27 ticks left and Kyle III grabbed the board to provide the Orange with one more possession in regulation. Kyle III had a last-second shot in traffic blocked by Joseph Tugler, sending the match into overtime.

After Uzan and SU senior Nate Kingz traded baskets to open the extra session, Sharp scored five unanswered points to put the Cougars ahead, 74-69. Starling scored in the lane and Kyle III converted a free throw to narrow the gap to 74-72 Houston and 1:05 on the clock.

Uzan closed out the scoring by connecting on two free throws with 17 seconds left.

Betsey Sparks the First-Half Offense
Betsey was red-hot to start for the Orange, scoring 10 points in a three-minute span. He hit three 3-point tries and a free throw that helped push Syracuse's early advantage to nine points, 23-14. Houston constructed an 11-0 run to take back the lead, 25-23, which Syracuse answered with a 3-pointer from Kingz and two free throws from Kyle III. The Cougars regained control and went into the intermission ahead, 37-34.

The first half featured nine lead changes.

Betsey ended the opening 20 minutes with 11 points. Freshman Kiyan Anthony was close behind, scoring nine points in the first half.

Tight Second-Half
Syracuse swiped the edge early in the second half, thanks to a layup and 3-pointer from George. It put the Orange in front, 43-42 with 16:05 on the clock. Houston asserted itself and moved back in front, 47-44, on a rebound basket and free throw from Chris Cena Jr. The Cougars would not trail again.

Notable Numbers

Syracuse had six players score in double figures: Betsey (16), Kyle III (12), Starling (11), George (11), Anthony (10), and Kingz (10).
Syracuse outscored Houston in bench points, 26-7.
The Orange had a 38-24 advantage on points in the paint.
Neither team held a double-digit lead until there were just three minutes left on the clock.
This was Syracuse's first overtime game since March 1^st, 2025 when the Orange went to extra time with Virginia Tech.
Freshman Sadiq White Jr. drew his first collegiate start in the absence of sophomore Donnie Freeman, who missed the game with an injury.
The Orange shot 12-of-29 (.414) from the free throw line while Houston made 19-of-27 (.704) from the charity stripe.

Up Next
The Orange are paired with Kansas on Tuesday, Nov. 24 in the Players Era Championship. The game will take place at MGM Grand Arena and air on TNT with tip-off set for 3:30 p.m. (EST).

Tickets
Syracuse season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets

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