Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Syracuse men’s basketball checked a lot of boxes last week. It got off to a hot-shooting start to defeat NC State at home, secured a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and fell in overtime to Virginia Tech.

Against SMU on Tuesday, Syracuse looked to bounce back. It jumped out to a 44-36 lead in the first 20 minutes. The Orange shot 57% from the field, and Lucas Taylor scored a team-high 11 points, all in the first six and half minutes.

In the second half, the Orange fell cold from the floor while the Mustangs climbed all the way back to take the lead. Despite outshooting SMU from deep, SU collapsed late, and Keon Ambrose-Hylton won the game on a tip-in with two seconds left.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (12-18, 6-13 ACC) 77-75 loss to SMU (22-8, 13-6 ACC):

Taylor leads fast start

In the first five minutes, Syracuse jumped out to a 12-8 lead after shooting 5-of-6. Taylor and J.J. Starling each had five points during the span.

On SU’s first possession, Taylor nailed a triple from the top of the key, and Eddie Lampkin Jr. added a layup right after, propelling it to a 5-0 start. SMU pulled within one, but then the Orange responded with a 13-6 run.

Taylor converted a jumper from around the free-throw line and then found Starling in transition for a layup. Thirty seconds later, Jaquan Carlos returned to Starling for a corner triple.

Syracuse missed its next two shots, but Taylor returned it to its shooting groove. He hit two more 3s to balloon SU’s lead to 18-10 at the 13:30 mark, forcing a timeout by the Mustangs.

One game ago, Taylor went scoreless on zero shots in 12 minutes but started 4-of-4 with 11 points on Tuesday in the six and a half minutes. In the contest’s first nine minutes, Syracuse made eight of its first 12 shots.

Starling absence stings

At the 12:06 mark of the first half, SU’s leading scorer Starling and SMU’s second-leading scorer Chuck Harris collided, forcing them both to be checked by medical staff. Though, without their weapons on the floor, it was the Orange that paid the price.

During the four minutes before either of them re-entered the game, SMU went on a 13-5 run. Kario Oquendo stepped up off the bench, hitting three 3s and adding a block to propel the Mustangs to tie the game. Meanwhile, Lampkin struggled, turning the ball over, which sparked Oquendo’s game-tying triple.

SU’s offense had fallen quiet after its fast start, and Kyle Cuffe Jr. was one of its only scorers, tallying three points. But when Starling checked back in at the 8:27 mark, he made an immediate impact by finding Cuffe for a layup to lift SU to a 25-23 lead.

A couple of minutes later, with Harris back in the game, Starling drove and found Petar Majstorovic for a layup, which again broke a tie game. Syracuse fed off its only returning starter’s play, finishing the half on a 15-7 run to take a 44-36 lead into halftime. After 20 minutes, Starling had five points and tied Carlos with a team-high four assists.

Depth shines, again

Over its last two games, Syracuse has had a balanced attack. Against NC State, SU had eight different scorers in the first half, propelling it to its first win in four games. In its last game against VT, Syracuse had five players in double figures.

The Orange continued to strike with a plethora of options against the Mustangs. In the first half, SU used seven scorers to build an eight-point lead at the break.

Taylor had given Syracuse a strong start, and others followed. Lampkin thrived in the paint, and Carlos finished with seven first-half points, including a buzzer-beater 3 heading into halftime.

In the first few minutes of the second half, Jyáre Davis became SU’s eighth scorer, finishing a feed from Carlos. His basket was part of a 6-0 run by Syracuse, which included baskets from three different players.

The Orange went on an over three-minute scoring drought before Naheem McLeod converted an and-one around the 14-minute mark. Down the stretch, SU struggled to find scoring besides getting to the free-throw line and paid the ultimate price, falling in the final seconds. It marked SU’s second straight game with at least five different players in double figures.

3-point barrage

Through about 30 minutes of game action, Syracuse shot 9-of-19 from 3, while SMU shot 3-of-10. The success from beyond the arc helped the Orange to a 63-51 lead.

SU’s scoring depth translated to its long-range shooting attack, as five different players netted triples during the stretch. Taylor shot the 3-ball early, and Chris Bell followed suit.

Moments after SMU pulled within four points midway through the second half, Bell’s first triple of the frame gave SU a 60-51 lead. Then, two minutes later, Cuffe added to Syracuse’s tally with a triple from the opposite corner.

The Mustangs started the second half 0-of-2 from beyond the arc before making their first 3 with 7:35 to go in the second half, their first triple since 8:27 to play in the first.

Over the final seven minutes, however, both teams pivoted their focus to getting inside and shooting free throws. During this stretch, Syracuse shot 5-of-8 at the charity stripe while SMU shot 5-of-9. SU led by as much as 12 points, but SMU climbed back to take the lead in the final minutes before Ambrose-Hylton won the game on a tip-in with two seconds left.

Published on March 4, 2025 at 11:46 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32