He matched another famous 44
The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team dropped a hotly contested contest in the Dome on Saturday afternoon against Pitt as the Panthers came roaring back from an early deficit to win 77-73.
While the team may have lost the game, Senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr. put up a ridiculous total of 23 rebounds to accompany his ten points on the evening. This total ties as the third most ever grabbed in a game by an SU player, with the last instance coming back in 1990 when Derrick Coleman (also in a #44 jersey) accomplished the feat.
The Houston-born big man has enjoyed a strong first season with the Orange. So far, he is posting a career-high in rebounds per game at 9 per game (which is 3rd in the ACC), along with 10 points and 2.5 assists in 29 minutes per game.
Despite the historic night, Syracuse Head Coach Adrian Autry called out his team for their rebounding and toughness for the full forty minutes.
“I thought we didn’t battle enough,” explained the second-year Head Coach. “When it came down to it, we didn’t make the plays that needed to be made.”
This comment comes despite the fact that SU outrebounded Pitt 48-31, with Autry noting that they didn’t get the important boards at the most crucial times.
“I think Eddie was able to get a lot of rebounds just because we missed shots and he was around the basketball, but I thought he played well,” said Autry.
After the game, Lampkin explained that, after years of hustling for boards with TCU and Colorado, he has a great sense for angles and reading the fall of the ball to consistently be at the right place at the right time.
Lampkin was able to dominate the paint on the night against smaller and less physical bigs, giving him a clear pathway to reach this milestone. Pitt Head Coach Jeff Capel was quick to praise Lampkin after the game for his determination and performance, explaining how hard it was to contain him. Despite the performance, Lampkin was only focused on one thing
“It really doesn’t matter how many rebounds I have. I want the win, and I’m just trying to do whatever I need to do to help my team get a win,” explained Lampkin. “But he did tell us all, as a team, we need to be tougher.”
Lampkin and the 9-11 Orange will now travel west for matchups with Stanford and Cal. With both teams ranking in the middle in the ACC from a rebounding perspective, Lampkin should have the chance to keep getting his boards and hopefully contribute to some wins for Syracuse.