Second-Half Syracuse Surge Falls Short Against UNC

Saturday, February 15

Syracuse, NY

6 PM

Syracuse University

11-15,5-10ACC

North Carolina

15-11,8-6ACC

North Carolina

Syracuse

Second-Half Syracuse Surge Falls Short Against UNC

2/15/2025 8:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Adrian Autry Press Conference JJ Starling Interview Buy Tickets Photo Gallery

Eddie Lampkin Jr. set a career high with 26 points Saturday night for Syracuse (11-15, 5-10 ACC) but a second-half Orange rally was halted by North Carolina (15-11, 8-6 ACC) at the JMA Wireless Dome, and the Tar Heels held on for an 88-82 victory.

Lampkin also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds for his 11^th double-double of the campaign. J.J. Starling (22) and Lucas Taylor (10) added double figures for the Orange. Syracuse pulled to within two points of the Tar Heels in the closing minute before North Carolina scored six of the game's final eight points to secure the win.

How The Game Was Decided
Syracuse trailed by as many as 10 early in the second half but stormed back to tie the game at 60-60 with just over 10 minutes remaining. The Tar Heels answered with a 13-4 scoring run over the next three minutes that was capped by eight straight points from Jae'Lyn Withers to retake control of the contest.

Although North Carolina did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the night, Syracuse staged a valiant late comeback bid. An RJ Davis 3-pointer pushed the Tar Heels ahead, 78-68, with 4:47 left, but a pair of Starling free throws with 1:16 to go drew the Orange back within four, 82-78. After North Carolina came up empty in its ensuing trip to the free throw line, Lampkin sank a pair of foul shots and to cut the deficit to just two, 82-80, with 1:01 on the clock.

On the next North Carolina trip, Elliot Cadeau converted a driving layup to re-establish a four-point lead for the Tar Heels.

Lampkin Leads The Way
Coming off a career-best 22-point game Tuesday at Miami, Lampkin Jr. set a career high with 26 against the Tar Heels. He scored 17 points after halftime and made 9-of-14 from the field for the contest. He also went 8-for-9 on free throws, matching his career high for free throw makes.

Two of Lampkin's three 20-point scoring efforts this season have come in his last two outings. In those two performances, against Miami and North Carolina, he has shot 17-of-26 from the field.

Second-Half Starling
Starling continued his run of shining in second halves, scoring 20 of his 22 points after the intermission. He scored Syracuse's first basket after the break and brought the Orange back to within five, 57-52, following a jumper at the 13:32 mark. Another basket and a pair of made free throws trimmed North Carolina's margin to three before he leveled the score at 60 with a successful three-point play with 10:10 to go.

This was the third straight game Starling has scored double figures in the second half -- he is averaging 17.7 points after the break over those contests. He went 8-for-8 on free throws in the second half versus the Tar Heels.

Taylor Time
In a first half that featured four ties, North Carolina led for over 16 minutes. The Tar Heels matched their largest lead of the period, 36-25, with 2:37 remaining, following a tip-in by Seth Trimble. However, Taylor helped cut into Syracuse's deficit in the closing minutes, connecting on a pair of triples, the second of which trimmed North Carolina's advantage to just five with 1:01 remaining. The Tar Heels entered halftime up 42-34.

Taylor finished the half with eight points, trailing only Lampkin Jr., who paced the Orange with nine in the frame. Taylor made all three of his attempts from the field. Freshman Ian Jackson led the way for the Tar Heels in the opening period, scoring 16 points on a 6-of-9 clip from the field, which included four makes from beyond the arc.

Notable Numbers

Lampkin and Starling combined for 48 points, including 37 of Syracuse's 48 in the second half.
Jyare Davis contributed nine points in 15 minutes of action. He went 4-of-8 from the field and added three rebounds.
Petar Majstorovic finished with seven points on a 3-of-4 night from the field.
Syracuse won the battle down low, outscoring the Tar Heels in the paint, 44-34. The Orange also bested North Carolina in second-chance points, 18-13.
The Orange edged the Tar Heels on the boards for the contest, 40-36. Syracuse pulled down 15 on the offensive glass, led by Lampkin's five.
North Carolina's reserves outscored Syracuse's, 34-15. Jackson scored 23 of those points in his 29 minutes off the bench.
The Orange shot 15-of-31 in the second half (48.4-percent) and went 17-for-19 at the line after intermission after attempting just three foul shots in the opening period.
Syracuse went 20-of-22 (.909) on free throws for the game. Starling and Lampkin were a combined for 18-of-19.
North Carolina blocked eight Syracuse shot attempts, with Withers rejecting a team-best three.
Withers (19 points) and Davis (16) complimented Jackson's 23 points for the Tar Heels.

Up Next
The Orange will travel to Pittsburgh to face the Panthers on Tuesday. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. start and will air live on ACC Network. Pittsburgh topped the Orange at the Dome earlier this season, 77-73.

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).