Syracuse Makes 14 Triples In Loss To Pittsburgh

Tuesday, February 18

Pittsburgh, PA

7 PM

Syracuse University

11-16,5-11ACC

Pittsburgh

16-10,7-8ACC

Syracuse

Pittsburgh

2/18/2025 9:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Chris Bell poured in a season-high 23 points for Syracuse (11-16, 5-11 ACC) on Tuesday night but Pittsburgh (16-10, 7-8 ACC) overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to prevail, 80-69, at the Petersen Events Center.

Syracuse knocked down a season-best 14 3-pointers as a team, led by a season-high seven from Bell and three by J.J. Starling. It was the most makes from beyond-the-arc in a game for the Orange since they produced 17 on Jan. 5, 2022, versus Miami.

How The Game Was Decided
After trailing by seven at halftime and by as many as 11 early in the second half, Pittsburgh took its first lead of the contest, 58-56, with 9:28 remaining following a 3-pointer from Ishmael Leggett. The Panthers did not relinquish the lead from there, as Cameron Corhen added a layup before Leggett knocked down another 3-pointer to stretch the Pittsburgh advantage to seven, 63-56.

Bell answered with a 3-pointer to draw the Orange back within four but Syracuse could get no closer over the final eight minutes, as the Panthers went ahead by double figures in the closing minutes on the way to victory.

Three Panthers reached double figures after intermission, with all three playing a crucial role in Pittsburgh's early second-half comeback. Leggett scored the first six out of the locker room for the Panthers on his way to a 13-point half. Zack Austin put up 10 in the second period for Pittsburgh and brought the Panthers within two, 51-49, after knocking down a 3-pointer with 13:52 left. Jaland Lowe also had 10 in the second half and tied the contest at 51 and 53 with baskets before converting a third straight bucket for the Panthers to bring them within one, 56-55.

Raining Triples
The Orange took a 41-34 lead into intermission after going 9-of-16 from beyond the arc in the opening period. Syracuse's first basket of the night came on a triple, as Starling knocked one down from the corner off a pass from Jaquan Carlos. Bell then knocked down his first three attempts from distance, the last of which gave the Orange a 22-6 advantage with 10:54 left in the frame.

Petar Majstorovic joined in on the 3-point barrage a bit later, knocking down his fourth of the season to make the score 27-15 in favor of the Orange. Starling then made back-to-back attempts, pushing Syracuse ahead, 35-24, with 3:42 to go. Three possessions later, Bell barely beat the shot clock on a 3-pointer from the right wing but connected for his fourth make from deep in the half. On the next Syracuse trip, Lucas Taylor made his first 3-pointer of the game, giving the Orange a 41-30 lead.

Syracuse made 9-of-16 3-pointers in the first half, with four different players knocking down at least one. Bell led the way with four while Starling hit three of his own. The nine made triples were the most for the Orange in any half this season and the most since they also made nine in the first half on Feb. 20, 2024, against North Carolina State.

Stingy Start
Syracuse took control of the game early courtesy of tenacious defense. The Orange forced five turnovers on the way to a 16-6 advantage in the opening seven minutes, with four of the takeaways coming via steals, including two from Carlos. During that opening stretch, Syracuse limited Pittsburgh to a 2-of-11 start from the field.

Notable Numbers

This was the fourth time this season Syracuse has hit double-digit 3-pointers in the game, the first of which also came against the Panthers in January. In their two games versus Pittsburgh this season, the Orange have made 25 shots from beyond-the-arc.
The Orange attempted 33 triples on the night, surpassing their previous season high of 32, which also came against the Panthers in January. The 33 tries from deep were the most in a game for Syracuse since taking 34 in a double-overtime affair versus Indiana on Nov. 30, 2021, and the most in a contest that ended in regulation since the Orange put up 38 against Pittsburgh on Jan. 6, 2021.
Of Syracuse's 69 points, 42 came via 3-pointers (61-percent).
Bell's seven made 3-pointers were his most in a game this season and just one shy of his career high of eight. This was Bell's 26^th career game with three or more 3-pointers and his first time reaching 20 points on the season since he scored 22 against Texas Tech at the Legends Classic.
Bell went 7-of-12 from beyond-the-arc on the night, surpassing his previous season high of nine attempts, which also came against the Panthers in January.
Starling finished the night with 14 points, snapping his streak of three straight games with 20-plus points. He scored 11 of those points in the opening frame.
Syracuse utilized its ninth different starting lineup this season with Carlos slotting in to replace the injured Elijah Moore. Carlos dished out a team-high six assists and matched his season best with three steals to pace the Orange while adding eight points.
Taylor knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, rounding out Syracuse's players with multiple made triples on the night, alongside Bell and Starling.
Eddie Lampkin Jr. was held to just seven points and six rebounds in 22 minutes of action, halting his streak of three consecutive double-doubles.
Lampkin, Jyare Davis and Majstorovic shared the team lead in rebounds with six apiece. Majstorovic paced the Orange with four offensive boards.
After Syracuse outrebounded Pittsburgh by 17 in their January clash, the squads each pulled down 34 boards on Tuesday. The Orange won the battle on the offensive glass, 14-11, but Pittsburgh outscored Syracuse in second-chance points, 14-8.
Syracuse shot 44-percent from the field (14-of-32) in the opening frame but went just 9-of-28 (32-percent) from the field after halftime. Five of the nine makes in the second half were 3-pointers. Pittsburgh went 15-of-24 (63-percent) from the field in the second half, which included a 6-for-10 clip from beyond-the-arc.
Pittsburgh rejected eight Syracuse shots, with Guillermo Diaz Graham pacing the Panthers with four blocks. Austin added three for a Pittsburgh team that entered the night with the second most blocks in the ACC. The Orange did not record a block in the contest.
The Orange committed 15 turnovers compared to Pittsburgh's 12. Austin matched Carlos with a game-high three steals.
Bell scored 23 of Syracuse's 28 bench points, which bested Pittsburgh's 13 reserve points.
Austin and Leggett paced the Panthers with 19 points each, with Lowe (17) close behind. Brandin Cummings also reached double figures with 11 points.
Pittsburgh outscored Syracuse in the second half, 46-28, after trailing by seven at halftime.
Syracuse has jumped out to early first-half leads in both matchups against Pittsburgh this season. In January at the Dome, the Orange opened on a 15-7 run, which was topped Tuesday by a 22-6 spurt out of the gates for Syracuse.
The Panthers went 18-of-24 on free throws for the game, compared to a 9-for-11 effort for the Orange.

Up Next
Syracuse returns to the JMA Wireless Dome on Feb. 26 to host NC State. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. and will air live on ESPN2.

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).