Kingz Pours in 28 Points and SU Tops Notre Dame

Saturday, January 31

Syracuse, NY

6:00 PM

Syracuse University

13-9,4-5ACC

Notre Dame

11-11,2-7ACC

Notre Dame

Syracuse

1/31/2026 8:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Nate Kingz delivered a season-best 28 points, including five 3-pointers, andSyracuse (13-9, 4-5 ACC) topped Notre Dame (11-11, 2-7 ACC), 86-72, at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday evening.

Kingz converted on 11-of-17 (.647) shots from the field, the most shots made in a game by a Syracuse player this season. He was 5-of-10 on 3-point tries. Senior J.J. Starling poured in a season-high 21 points on 9-of-13 (.692) shooting against his former squad. Senior William Kyle III joined Kingz and Starling in double-digits with 10 points and a squad-best eight rebounds. Junior Naithan George dished out 10 assists in the victory, the third time he has produced double-digit assists during ACC-play.

Syracuse shot 32-of-55 (.571) from the field, its second-best shooting percentage in ACC matchups.

Freshman Jalen Haralson experienced a career-night, scoring 26 points for the Fighting Irish.

How the Game Was Decided
The Orange answered a Cole Certa 3-pointer with a game-breaking 9-0 run, turning a 66-60 margin into a commanding 75-60 advantage over a 1:37 stretch. Kingz ignited the surge with a triple and made a play on the defensive end moments later, recording a steal to regain possession.

Following the turnover, freshman Sadiq White Jr. drew a foul and knocked down a free throw. On Syracuse's next possession, Freeman hit one of two at the line before Betsey snared the offensive rebound and George converted a jumper for second-chance points.

George intercepted an errant pass on the ensuing Notre Dame possession before White Jr. finished the 9-0 run with a fastbreak layup, giving the Orange a 75-60 advantage.

The Fighting Irish rattled off a couple of baskets, but Kingz extinguished the comeback attempt with a steal and dunk in transition. He capped his performance with an alley-oop and-one with two minutes remaining, pushing the lead to 80-68. Kingz finished with 10 points and three steals over the final 6:30.

3-Pointers Fuel Orange Early
The Orange started fast offensively, going 4-of-5 (.800) from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, one from Starling and another from Kingz during the first five minutes. The Fighting Irish were close behind, though, as Syracuse held a 10-8 lead.

After the early spurt, the Orange experienced a brief scoring lull until Kingz delivered another 3-pointer to reinvigorate the offense. Kingz's triple kicked off a stretch of three straight possessions with 3-point makes for Syracuse, with Starling rattling home two of his own to give Syracuse a 21-12 lead at the 10:29 mark of the first half. George assisted on two of the three 3-pointers.

The Orange began the contest 5-of-8 (.625) from 3-point range, including Starling going a perfect 3-for-3 (1.000), during the first 10 minutes.

Sophomore Tyler Betsey got in on the long-distance shooting, burying the Orange's sixth 3-pointer of the half at the 8:27 mark to give Syracuse a 28-16 advantage.

Back-and-Forth End to First Half
The Orange and Fighting Irish traded baskets over the final six minutes of the half. Syracuse shot 6-of-9 (.667), but Notre Dame kept itself within reach after going 5-of-8 (.625), including two 3-pointers, over the stretch.

Starling continued his strong start, chipping in four more points before the half was over. Senior William Kyle III added four points over the six-minute stretch as well. Starling completed the half with 17 points while shooting 7-of-7 (1.000) with three 3-pointers and five assists.

Braeden Shrewsberry kept the Fighting Irish within reach, scoring nine points with three 3-pointers in the opening frame.

Syracuse took a 40-31 lead into the break.

Offenses Stay Hot in Second Half
Syracuse used an 11-5 run in a span of 1:25 to open its largest advantage affair up to that point at 60-46. Freeman chipped in three free-throw makes while Kingz and Betsey each drained a 3-pointer. Kyle III added an alley-oop slam delivered by George during the stretch to give the Orange the 14-point edge.

Notre Dame answered with an 11-6 scoring surge of its own over the next four minutes to draw back within single digits at 66-57 with 7:40 to go before the Orange pulled away.

Notable Numbers

In addition to his 10 assists, Naithan George had two steals and did not commit a turnover.
White Jr. made his second career start in ACC play and 11^th overall, and ended up with five points and six rebounds.
This is the first time during ACC-play this year the Orange had two players score over 20 points with Kingz's 28 and Starling's 21.
Kyle III finished with two blocks, marking the fifth time in six games he's finished with multiple rejections.
Syracuse finished with 10 3-pointers, the fourth time they've reached double-digit 3-point makes in league play.
The Orange led for 36:25 of game time.
Syracuse outrebounded Notre Dame, 34-28.

Up Next
The Orange have a quick turnaround as they square off with #16/18 North Carolina on Monday evening. The game against the Tar Heels will take place at the Dean E. Smith Center and tip off at 7:00 p.m., airing on ESPN.

Syracuse Tickets
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets