Syracuse drops its first ACC game and falls to 4-4 on the season.
The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team faltered late in its first ACC road contest, falling to Notre Dame 69-64 in the 58th all-time meeting between the two programs.
Notre Dame (5-5, 1-0) led most of the game as the Orange (4-4, 0-1) fell to the Irish for the first time in four games. Syracuse did not make a single three-point attempt on the game for the first time in ten years. Donnie Freeman and Jyare Davis led the charge for Syracuse with 20 points a piece.
Adrian Autry went with a starting five of Jaquan Carlos, Lucas Taylor, Chris Bell, Freeman and Eddie Lampkin. The Orange were without JJ Starling for the second time as he sits with a broken left wrist. Notre Dame was with Markus Burton.
Syracuse was able to score the ball in the early going, but struggled to get defensive stops as Notre Dame led 8-6 at the first media timeout. Elijah Moore and Jyare Davis were first off the bench, replacing Taylor and Freeman. Freeman quickly checked back for Lampkin and played at center. Autry, testing out a new lineup on the season, went three-guard midway through the first half with Carlos, Chance Westry and Kyle Cuffe. That lineup yielded mixed results with limited outside shooting. Autry went ten deep as Petar Majstorovic rounded out the rotation.
Syracuse was intent to play through the mid- and low-post, feeding the ball into Lampkin who was comfortable finding teammates when double-teams arrived, mostly finding Freeman on dives to the rim. Lampkin, playing through back troubles, was solid down low and had five points, five rebounds and three assists in the first half.
Syracuse limited itself from outside in both attempts and makes. Notre Dame was 4-13 from three point land in the first half. Syracuse, meantime, was just 0-4. Syracuse once again struggled at the free throw line, going 8-16 in the first half. Notre Dame took a 30-26 lead into the break.
Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Three minutes into the second half, Syracuse took its first lead of the game at 34-33, but Notre Dame took it right back on a Shrewsberry three. Shrewsberry would hit another three— this time a wide open attempt — after the media timeout to extend the lead 39-34. Syracuse responded on a 6-0 run to take the lead back.
Freeman was effective on the pick and roll with Carlos, often getting to the rim and using his size to draw fouls. He was once again Syracuse’s top rebounder.
Autry went three-guard again in the second half with Westry, Moore and Cuffe alongside Davis at the four and Freeman at the five. Carlos and Taylor replaced Cuffe and Westry at the ten minute mark as that lineup had limited run.
Davis, like Freeman, was also effective at getting to the rim and finishing around the low block. He was able to hit on the turnaround jumpshot and step out on screens and knock down the mid-range shot. His jumper with 8:20 to play gave him 15 points on the game and brought Syracuse to within one at 52-51. After a pair of Notre Dame free throws, a three point play by Davis on the ensuing possession tied the game with 7:45 to go.
It was back and forth down the stretch with neither team able to extend the lead to more than two possessions. Syracuse lost Shrewsberry once again on the perimeter and he made the Orange pay, breaking the tie to give the Irish a 63-60 edge with 3:27 to go. Elijah Moore answered with a deep shot, which was ruled a two. Shrewsberry answered right back with another triple to extend the lead, and Moore responded with a floater in the lane. Those would be Syracuse‘s last points on the game.
Notre Dame was able to ice the contest from the free throw line late as Syracuse couldn’t get its offense going in its final three possessions. Syracuse dropped its first ACC road game to fall to 4-4 on the season.
Next up
Syracuse returns home to take on Albany this Tuesday. That game tips at 7 pm and airs on ESPN2.