Syracuse drops 3rd straight game with 88-83 loss at Wake Forest
Despite leading by four at the half, Syracuse collapsed down the stretch en route to an 88-83 loss to Wake Forest, SU's third straight defeat. Courtesy of Scott Schild | Syracuse.com
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Time is running out for Syracuse. What once began as a hopeful rejuvenation has turned sour.
Playing top Atlantic Coast Conference opponents turned from opportunities into predictable blowouts. Facing anyone on the road has surged SU to an automatic betting underdog, no matter the opponent’s record. Saturday was yet another chapter in the same old story.
Syracuse (15-14, 6-10 ACC) fell to Wake Forest (15-14, 6-10 ACC) 88-83, dropping its third-straight game and sixth-straight on the road. The Orange nearly topped their season-high in points in the first half, but went ice cold in the second frame as the Demon Deacons caught fire all over the court.
Both sides entered far from an NCAA Tournament position, but just in line for an ACC Tournament appearance as the league’s lower seeds. While Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes is expected back next season, each game for the Orange creeps closer to the inevitable: the possible end of Adrian Autry’s tenure.
Entering the game, Syracuse’s two-year 4-14 road record and five-straight road losses stood as the mental block in its way. The Orange began hot out of the gate, sinking three quick 3s to build an early advantage. Still, Syracuse’s offense looked out of sorts against one of the ACC’s worst defenses.
Demon Deacons’ star guard Juke Harris averages over 10 points more than anyone else on the squad. His 21.7 points per game are highlighted by a recent 38-point outing against Boston College. Wake Forest, however, still lost to the Eagles.
Against the Orange, Harris scored a free throw before sinking a fadeaway jumper to get the Demon Deacons rolling. He then struggled, starting the game 1-for-6 from the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Syracuse then took control early, even while being outrebounded heavily. Donnie Freeman and Nate Kingz clicked from deep range to pad the lead as they combined for 19 of SU’s first 21 points. The Orange overall went 10-for-18 from deep in the first half, just one away from their overall game-high.
With Harris on the bench, Myles Colvin cut Wake Forest’s eight-point deficit down to just one. When Harris checked back in, Colvin hit another 3 to tie the game at 29. Syracuse rattled off an 8-0 run in under a minute, but the Demon Deacons came right back with six-straight.
With both squads hitting shots, an offensive barrage ensued with the Orange up four at the half.
Even after a raucous 3-point explosion in the first half, Syracuse didn’t attempt one in the second frame until over four minutes in, when Kingz sank his fifth of the day to extend SU’s lead. But the Demon Deacons wouldn’t go away as Colvin’s totals increased.
Syracuse starters J.J. Starling and William Kyle III both didn’t score through the first 32 minutes and Harris heated up for the Demon Deacons, knocking down a 3 to swing a 64-62 lead. A Naithan George turnover along the baseline gifted Harris a wide-open layup, extending the lead to three.
As the sparse crowd at LJVM Coliseum gained some traction, Wake Forest jumped up 70-65 for its largest lead of the game yet. The Orange’s once potent 3-point game dwindled back to form with just three made in the second half.
Even as Syracuse trailed by just four with 45 seconds to go, it couldn’t get anything right. Autry moved his arms to signal a foul, but the Orange didn’t listen, lackadaisically jogging to the ball before Wake Forest sealed the deal with a layup. Autry stood motionless on the sideline.
The Demon Deacons are no powerhouse like a Duke, North Carolina or Virginia. Yet, at this point for Syracuse, it doesn’t matter.
