Syracuse Stifled By SMU At ACC Tournament

Wednesday, March 12

Charlotte, N.C.

9:30 PM

Syracuse University

14-19,7-13ACC

Southern Methodist

23-9,13-7ACC

Syracuse

SMU

3/12/2025 11:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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No. 14 seed Syracuse (14-19) saw its stay at the ACC Tournament come to an end Wednesday night, as No. 6 seed SMU (23-9) picked up its first ever win at the event, 73-53, in a second-round grudge match at the Spectrum Center.

J.J. Starling backed up his 27-point effort against Florida State in the first round with a team-best 16 points against the Mustangs, while Jyare Davis also reached double figures for the second straight game at the tournament with 14 points. Eddie Lampkin Jr. paced Syracuse with 10 rebounds, his 22^nd game with double-digit boards this season.

With the victory, the Mustangs advance to tomorrow's quarterfinal round, where they will face No. 3 seed Clemson.

How The Game Was Decided
After Syracuse seized momentum with a 6-0 run in the closing minutes of the first half, SMU took control of the game early in the second. The Mustangs scored the first 10 points after the intermission, with consecutive 3-pointers from Chuck Harris growing the Mustangs' advantage to 13 points, 41-28.

Davis answered with five straight Syracuse points to pull the Orange back within eight, but it was as close as they got for the remainder of the encounter. Two straight SMU baskets from Matt Cross ballooned the lead back to double figures and the Mustangs led by double-digits over the final 13:29 of regulation. SMU went on to outscore the Orange 42-25 in the second half.

Orange Close First Half Strong
Syracuse got off to another promising start, scoring the game's first five points by way of a Starling triple and Lampkin layup. SMU took its first lead of the contest, 12-11, at the 12:05 mark of the period, but the Orange immediately responded with four straight points to retake the lead. However, a Harris 3-pointer with 5:25 to go in the half gave the Mustangs a 22-21 advantage, which they did not relinquish the remainder of the frame.

Despite going down 31-22 with 1:52 to go in the opening half, Syracuse battled back and reduced the deficit entering the intermission. Starling connected on his second triple of the half from the corner to draw the Orange back within six, and on the ensuing SMU possession, Naheem McLeod denied a B.J. Edwards floater with a thunderous block. Syracuse finished that possession by forcing a shot clock violation, and the Orange took advantage of that stop on the other end when Davis cashed in on a 3-pointer to make it a three-point margin, 31-28, entering the break.

Starling and Davis Star Again
Starling and Davis, who combined for 41 points in Syracuse's first round victory over Florida State, both reached double figures again against the Mustangs. They accounted for 18-of-28 Orange points in the first half and knocked down a trio of triples in the period.

Starling scored seven of Syracuse's first nine points in the first half, with Davis making two of the final three Orange baskets in that frame. After hitting a 3-pointer for Syracuse's final points before the intermission, Davis scored the first five for the Orange out of the break. Starling averaged 21.5 points over Syracuse's two tournament games while Davis tallied 14 against both the Seminoles and Mustangs.

Notable Numbers

Following his 19-point second half Tuesday night against Florida State, Starling carried that form into Wednesday's first half, pouring in 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting (50-percent). He was limited to just five points after the intermission.
Davis scored 14 points for the second consecutive game, reaching the mark on a 6-of-11 (55-percent) shooting night that saw him make a pair of 3-pointers. Davis reached double figures in five of Syracuse's final six games this season, averaging 13.8 in that stretch.
Chris Bell (7) and Kyle Cuffe Jr. (5) combined for 12 points off the bench for the Orange. Bell knocked down a triple in the first half that put the Orange ahead, 19-18. Cuffe scored all five of his points at the free throw line.
Lampkin grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Orange on the glass. SMU bested Syracuse 36-28 on the boards as a team.
Jaquan Carlos delivered five assists to lead the Orange. He dished out five-plus assists in six of Syracuse's final eight outings this season.
McLeod matched a pair of season highs with four rebounds and two blocks in his 10 bench minutes.
The Orange forced 15 SMU turnovers but gave the ball away 15 times themselves.
After shooting just 42-percent (11-of-26) from the field in the opening half, SMU went 14-of-21 (67-percent) on field goals in the second period.
Four Mustangs scored in double figures, led by 12 apiece from Cross and Harris.

Tickets
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