Syracuse Drains 10 3-Pointers in Victory at Pittsburgh

Saturday, January 10

Pittsburgh, PA

2:00 PM

Syracuse University

11-5,2-1ACC

Pittsburgh

7-9,0-3ACC

Syracuse

Pittsburgh

Syracuse Drains 10 3-Pointers in Victory at Pittsburgh

1/10/2026 4:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Syracuse (11-5, 2-1 ACC) drained a season-high 10 3-pointers and took down Pittsburgh (7-9, 0-3 ACC), 83-72, at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Donnie Freeman was Syracuse's leading scorer for the third-consecutive game, notching 22 points on 8-of-13 (.615) shooting and hit a season-high three 3-pointers. Senior J.J. Starling was close behind, recording 19 points on 7-of-11 (.636) shooting from the field. Senior William Kyle III picked up 11 points and threw down three dunks while recording a career-high four steals in the triumph.

Syracuse shot 29-of-52 (.558) from the floor, including 10-of-22 (.455) from beyond the arc, for its second-best field goal percentage this season.

Pittsburgh's Brandin Cummings kept the Panthers within reach, finishing with 29 points on 11-of-17 (.674) shooting from the floor.

How the Game Was Decided
Syracuse wasted no time building a commanding lead, scoring 13 unanswered points to start the contest. Pittsburgh scored the first basket of the game before the Orange offense caught fire. George scored the Orange's first point of the affair with a free throw before a steal from Kyle III led to a Starling 3-pointer in transition.

On the ensuing Pittsburgh possession, Kyle III intercepted another errant pass and threw down a dunk in transition to spark the run. The senior big man scored again just a couple of possessions later, converting a layup.

Senior Nate Kingz drilled a 3-pointer and Starling added a driving layup to finish off the 13-0 run for Syracuse. Starling led the way over the 13-0 stretch with five points while Kyle III was close behind with four.

The Syracuse defense dialed up the pressure and held the Panthers 0-of-8 from the field during the run. Pittsburgh couldn't recover from the early deficit as Syracuse maintained the lead the rest of the way.

Orange Dominate From the Start
Following the decisive 13-0 run, Syracuse kept its foot on the gas to continue cushioning its lead. Syracuse was dominant on both ends of the floor, taking a 48-37 lead into the break. 48 points were the most points the Orange have scored in a first half this season.

The Syracuse defense held the Panthers to 2-of-11 (.182) from the field to start the game, compared to the Orange's 7-of-11 (.636) mark in the first seven minutes. The Panthers were held scoreless from beyond the arc too, going 0-of-6 from 3-point range during the run to allow Syracuse to balloon its lead to 19-4.

The Orange caught fire from 3-point range in the opening half, finishing 8-of-15 (.533) from beyond the arc. Three players had multiple makes from deep in the opening frame with sophomore Tyler Betsey leading the way with three makes and Freeman and Starling each having a pair. Starling led the scoring in the first half with 12 points while Freeman was close behind with 11.

Syracuse's defense left the Panthers looking for answers with Pittsburgh turning the ball over five times and shooting just 13-of-29 (.448) from the field and 3-of-13 (.231) from 3-point range. Syracuse capitalized on the Pittsburgh miscues, scoring 10 points off turnovers before the break.

Pittsburgh's Brandin Cummings kept the Panthers close, scoring 16 points on 5-of-5 (1.000) shooting from the floor and hitting five free throws before the half.

Kyle III's Dunks Kickstart Second Half
The Orange came out of the break and picked up right where they left off. Syracuse forced a Pittsburgh turnover to open the half, and Kyle III made them pay with a thunderous dunk. After a 3-pointer missed the mark, Kyle III soared in for the offensive rebound, cocked the ball back and slammed it home in one fluid motion.

He wasn't done yet, finishing off a two-handed jam in transition following a steal by Freeman less than a minute later to give the Orange a 52-37 lead with 18:25 left in the second half.

Orange Fend off Late Pittsburgh Push
A driving layup from Starling put Syracuse up 64-46 at the 14:14 mark of the second half, giving the Orange its largest lead of the afternoon with an 18-point advantage.

The Panthers responded, though, going on a 20-8 run to cut the lead to just six at 72-66 with 6:33 to go. Cummings had nine of the Panthers' points over the run, punctuating it with a 3-pointer.

Freeman was there to answer, hitting a deep two-point jumper before drilling a 3-pointer a couple of possessions later to give Syracuse a 75-66 lead.

Following Freeman's triple, Cameron Corhen threw down a dunk for the Panthers but Kingz responded with a pair of free throws to maintain a nine-point lead. Cummings stayed hot, hitting a pullup jumper with 3:26 to go, cutting the Orange lead to just seven.

The offenses went cold down the stretch, neither team scoring for nearly two minutes. Needing a bucket, Freeman snapped the streak with a fadeaway jumper. On the ensuing possession, Kyle III picked up his career-high fourth steal before Kingz hit a layup in transition to put the Panthers away. Syracuse held Cummings to 0-of-3 shooting in the final three minutes.

Notable Numbers

Syracuse's 13 unanswered points marked the team's longest scoring run in an ACC game since a 13-0 stretch against Wake Forest on December 31, 2024.
The Orange scored 22 points off turnovers.
Syracuse never trailed after the 18:35 mark of the first half.
Nine different players scored for Syracuse.
Syracuse hit 15-of-18 (.833) free throws, tying a season-best percentage from the charity stripe.
George finished with seven assists to lead the team. This marks the 13th game this season that he has led the team in assists.
Freeman was Syracuse's leading rebounder for the fifth time this season, recording five in the victory.
Three Syracuse players hit three 3-pointers with Betsey, Starling and Freeman all reaching the mark.

Up Next
The Orange return home next week when they get set to take on Florida State. The matchup with the Seminoles is set for a 9:00 p.m. tip off and will air on ACC Network.

Syracuse Tickets
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).

Gallery: (1-10-2026) MBB @ Pitt