Syracuse pulls away in second half for win over NC State basketball
N.C. State had far too many turnovers and failed to make nearly enough defensive stops Tuesday to beat Syracuse at PNC Arena.
The Wolfpack, often careless with the ball, had 20 turnovers trying to solve the Syracuse zone. But the Orange was able to handle the Pack’s man-to-man defense in taking a 77-68 victory at PNC Arena.
Alan Griffin had 22 points and Buddy Boeheim found his shooting eye in the second half and finished 16 with for the Orange (11-6, 5-5 ACC). Syracuse used a late 9-0 run in the first half for a 34-33 lead at the break, given a boost by freshman Kadary Richmond, and maintained it in the second.
The Orange, pounded 78-61 by Clemson in its last game, converted the Pack’s mistakes into 21 points. Syracuse also was stronger on the offensive boards in the second half, turning 11 rebounds into 12 second-chance points.
The Orange built the lead to 65-55 in the second half on a Griffin 3-pointer with 8:22 to play. The Pack trimmed the lead to three with 4:46 left in regulation, but the Orange surged ahead again as Boeheim and Griffin scored.
Thomas Allen had 17 points for the Pack (8-8. 4-7 ACC). D.J. Funderburk had 14 points and Jericole Hellems, who had 24 in a 76-73 loss at Syracuse on Jan. 31, had two second-half points in finishing with 11.
The Pack was looking to build off an 81-65 win at Boston College but now faces Duke on Saturday, both teams coming off losses after the Blue Devils were beaten 93-89 by Notre Dame on Tuesday.
Here are the earlier updates from the game:
Orange surges to first-half lead
Before the game, Syracuse listed Kadary Richmond as questionable with an illness that was said to be non-COVID.
Turns out, Richmond was well enough to play. And play well. The freshman guard was the catalyst as the Orange made a late first-half surge for a 34-33 lead at the break.
Richmond, after sitting out the first eight minutes, had three steals and six points to give the Orange an adrenaline surge. Alan Griffin had 14 points for Syracuse, which had a 9-0 run in moving in front after the Pack had taken a 28-25 lead.
The Wolfpack hit 11 of 20 shots from the field and four of eight 3-pointers against the Syracuse zone, but had 13 turnovers, many of them careless. Seven players had turnovers.
Jericole Hellems, who had a career-high 24 points at Syracuse, had nine first-half points but was forced into three turnovers as the Orange looked to cut off the high-low pass from Hellems to the Pack’s post players down low.
Keatts: Daniels has surgery
N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts announced on his Twitter account Tuesday that senior guard Devon Daniels had undergone successful surgery Tuesday morning on the torn ACL in his left knee.
Keatts tweeted: “I’m sure he’s already asking the doctors when he can start rehab exercises.”
Daniels, the Pack’s leading scorer, was injured Jan. 27 against Wake Forest after scoring 20 points in a 72-67 victory.
Something to remember
D.J. Funderburk did not play in the Jan. 31 game at Syracuse that the Pack lost 76-73. The reason: “university policies.” That was never fully defined by N.C. State or Keatts but the ruling kept the big man out of the game. Whatever the reason, it was a one-and-done situation.
Questionable for game
Syracuse tweeted before the game that Kadary Richmond (illness) and Bourama Sidibe (knee soreness) were questionable. Syracuse said Richmond’s illness was non-COVID. Richmond had 14 points in the win over the Pack.
Key stat
If there’s a key stat to keep in mind for the Wolfpack it’s turnovers forced: the Pack is 8-1 when forcing 15 in a game and 0-6 when it forces less than 15.
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 6:17 PM.
