Syracuse Survives FSU, Advances At ACC Tournament

Tuesday, March 11

Charlotte, N.C.

7 PM

Syracuse University

14-18,7-13ACC

Florida State

17-15,8-12ACC

Syracuse

Florida St.

Syracuse Survives FSU, Advances At ACC Tournament

3/11/2025 10:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Led by 27 points from J.J. Starling, No. 14 seed Syracuse (14-18) outlasted No. 11 seed Florida State (17-15) on Tuesday night at the Spectrum Center, 66-62, to advance to the second round of the ACC Tournament.

Starling and Eddie Lampkin Jr., who were both named All-ACC Honorable Mention selections on Monday, combined to score 41 points for the Orange, with Jyare Davis adding 14 of his own. Lampkin came up just one rebound shy of a 15^th double-double this season.

The Orange outscored Florida State 44-32 in the paint and outrebounded the Seminoles, 42-32, which included a 13-8 edge on the offensive glass. Syracuse led for over 38 minutes but had to withstand a late rally from Florida State, which trimmed a 16-point second-half deficit down to just one in the closing seconds. Starling scored 11 of Syracuse's 16 final points to help seal the victory.

With the victory, Syracuse moves on to face No. 6 seed SMU in the second round Wednesday night. The game is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

How The Game Was Decided
After trailing by as many as 16 in the second half, Florida State used a 10-0 run to cut its deficit to six, 50-44, with just under eight minutes remaining, but Starling took over from there to neutralize the comeback bid. Starling snapped a six-plus minute scoring drought for the Orange with a driving layup, converting on a reverse finish with 6:57 left in regulation for Syracuse's first points since the 13:15 mark. On Florida State's next possession, Starling stole the ball and took it all the way for a transition layup that extended the Orange's lead back to double figures, 54-44.

Florida State scored seven of the next nine points to again draw within five, but Starling continued to answer, taking it to the lane and producing another layup to grow the lead back to seven, 58-51, with just under three minutes remaining. With Syracuse's edge back down to just four, Starling drove the ball again and finished another basket at the 1:37 mark to make the score 60-54 in favor of the Orange.

The Seminoles knocked down a pair of free throws to again make it a four-point margin, but Starling continued to attack, getting to the rim for another layup with 1:03 on the clock. Florida State got to within two with nine seconds remaining, but Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Davis went 4-of-4 at the free throw line on the next two possessions to ice the Syracuse victory.

Second-Half Surge
The Orange quickly built on their four-point halftime lead in the second half by way of an opening 20-8 stretch in the opening 6:45 after intermission. Starling and Davis started the second-half scoring for Syracuse with two baskets apiece, and after a Jaquan Carlos layup, Starling gave the Orange their first double-digit advantage of the night, 44-34, with 15:14 left in regulation after another layup.

Following another Davis layup and two free throws from Lampkin, which he earned after grabbing an offensive rebound, Carlos threw an alley-oop to Naheem McLeod, who slammed it down to give Syracuse its largest lead of the night, 50-34, with 13:15 on the clock.

Much like their torrid shooting start in the first half, the Orange went 9-of-14 (64-percent) to begin the second period, with Starling and Davis tallying 12 of the 20 Syracuse points in that opening scoring run.

Early Offense
Syracuse led for over 18 minutes in the opening period thanks to a strong start from the field. The Orange made 6-of-8 field goal attempts to start the game, with Carlos starting that stretch with a triple for Syracuse's first points of the night. Jyare Davis scored the next five Orange points, and after Starling split a pair at the free throw line, Lampkin tallied the next four via a pair of layups to give Syracuse a 15-8 advantage at the 14:18 mark of the first half.

Starling and Lucas Taylor scored the next six points for the Orange to give them a 21-12 lead, their largest of the opening frame. However, the Seminoles responded with a 9-2 run to tie the contest at 23. Just 16 seconds after Florida State evened the score, Starling hit a pull-up to put Syracuse back in front, and Lampkin turned an offensive rebound into a basket on the ensuring Orange possession to stretch the margin to four. Following a Florida State dunk, Lampkin scored his sixth basket of the opening frame, and a Starling free throw on Syracuse's final possession gave the Orange ahead 30-26 entering the intermission.

Notable Numbers

Starling's 27 points were his most against an ACC opponent this season in a game that finished in regulation. He notched 28 points in February's triple-overtime victory over Boston College.
Starling went 12-of-23 from the field (52-percent), his most made field goals in a game since he also had 12 in January's triumph at Boston College. Of his 27 points, 19 came after the intermission. He scored the final five baskets for the Orange and was the only Syracuse player to make a field goal over the final 13 minutes.
Lampkin finished with 14 points on a 6-of-7 effort from the field (86-percent). He paced the Orange with 12 first-half points, with all seven of his field goal attempts coming in the opening period.
For the second time in three games, Lampkin came within a rebound of a double-double, as he ended the contest with a team-best nine boards, five of which came on the offensive glass.
Davis continued to be a steady producer for the Orange, reaching double-digit points for the fourth time in the last five games. He went 5-of-10 from the field to go along with six rebounds, a block and a steal. Over the last five games, he is averaging 13.8 points.
Of Syracuse's 66 points, 83-percent came from Starling, Lampkin and Davis (55-of-66).
Carlos grabbed a season-high eight rebounds, including two on the offensive glass.
As a team, the Orange shot 52-percent from the field (14-of-27) in the second half. Florida State made just 10-of-24 field goals (42-percent) after the intermission.
Syracuse's guards were pivotal in cleaning up the boards, as Carlos (8), Starling (5), Taylor (4) and Cuffe (1) combined for 18-of-42 Orange rebounds (43-percent).
The game featured just three lead changes, the final of which came at the 17:53 mark of the first half when a Davis layup gave Syracuse a 5-4 advantage. The Orange led for over 38 minutes, with Florida State tying the game just once after that Davis basket.
The victory was the first in the ACC Tournament for Adrian Autry as Syracuse's head coach.
This was the second time Syracuse has defeated Florida State in the last four ACC Tournaments, as the Orange also topped the Seminoles in 2022's second round, 96-57.

Up Next
Syracuse advances to face No. 6 seed SMU on Wednesday night in the second round. The contest is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. and will air on ESPNU.

This will be the first game of the tournament for the Mustangs, as they received a bye through the first round. The two teams met in Dallas on March 4, with SMU winning, 77-75, thanks to a late tip-in.

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

Gallery: (3-11-2025) MBB vs FSU - ACC Tournament First Round