Syracuse comeback falls short in 70-69 upset loss to Hofstra
The Orange went on a 9-0 run in the final five minutes and took the lead with 56 seconds remaining but couldn’t hold on for the victory. Christian Calabrese | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse is embracing “fight” this year. After each win, someone is awarded the Orange’s “fighter of the game.”
On the court, SU has found itself in countless fights. Saturday against Hofstra was no different.
And despite trailing by 10 points with 4:34 remaining, Syracuse fought back to take the lead with 56 seconds remaining. However, SU (6-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) couldn’t hold on, getting upset 70-69 at home by the Pride (8-4, 0-0 Coastal). It’s a crucial nonconference loss for the Orange, which needed to win every such game to boost their odds of returning to March Madness for the first time in five years.
The win is Hofstra’s second over an ACC team this season, also defeating Pittsburgh. It’s still a shocking loss for the Orange, though, because the Pride entered Saturday ranked No. 119 by KenPom compared to SU’s No. 67 ranking.
With the Orange trailing 67-66 with about a minute remaining, Tyler Betsey missed a corner 3, but William Kyle III sprang into the air to corral the offensive rebound before drawing a foul. He then made both free throws, giving SU a 68-67 lead. The Orange, who are the worst free-throw shooting team in the country, went 9-of-16 from the charity stripe.
Defensively, Syracuse lapsed, as German Plotnikov drilled a wide-open corner 3 to give Hofstra a 70-68 lead with 31.9 seconds remaining. The Pride called a timeout after taking the lead before Sadiq White Jr. drew a foul after driving to the rim. However, the freshman split his free throws, forcing SU to play the foul game with 15 seconds, but it had three fouls to give.
After the first foul, it appeared the Pride almost coughed the ball up, but after review, it was confirmed off Starling. Hofstra then committed a five-second violation, but the Orange couldn’t capitalize as Kiyan Anthony missed a floater with just over three seconds remaining. The Pride then closed out the win.
Throughout the evening, the Orange and Hofstra failed to create separation. While Starling scored most of his season-high 15 points in the first half, the Orange entered the break with a 37-36 advantage. It extends a now seven-game streak in which SU has been in a dogfight entering halftime, as it hasn’t led by five or more points at halftime since leading Drexel 37-32 on Nov. 15.
Out of the break, Nate Kingz buried back-to-back triples for the first six points of the half, but Syracuse couldn’t get a “kill shot” — a run of 10 or more points. Though White Jr. — who scored 12 points — hammered home an alley-oop to give SU a 45-38 lead, he was called for a technical foul after celebrating.
Hofstra’s Cruz Davis, one of 33 players in Division I averaging over 20 points per game, then hit both free throws and a 3-pointer, cutting Syracuse’s lead to two points. Davis scored a game-high 22 points and added nine assists. It helped offset SU having five players: Starling (15), Kyle (13), White Jr. (12), Anthony (12) and Kingz (12) all scoring in double figures.
Kyle answered with a deuce, but the Pride then scored the next five points. After Davis whipped a fastball to Preston Edmead in the left corner, leading to a 3-pointer, Hofstra took a 48-47 lead at the 14:32 mark.
Over the next four minutes, Hofstra embarked on a 9-2 run, and after Plotnikov made one of his three 3s, Autry called a timeout with the Orange trailing 57-49 at the 10:31 mark.
Syracuse received a quick lift by going on a 6-2 run. Edmead halted the run by drilling one of his four triples before Starling connected on a floater. However, Davis responded by draining a 3, giving Hofstra a 65-57 lead with 5:22 remaining.
The Pride were 12-of-18 from beyond the arc, while the Orange were 8-of-23.
After the Pride notched a stop, a Victory Onuetu 2 gave them a 67-57 lead with 4:34 remaining. Despite eventually climbing back to take the lead in the final minute, Syracuse couldn’t hang on as “boos” traveled throughout the JMA Wireless Dome once the Orange dropped a crucial game.
