Syracuse caps disappointing regular season with 71-69 OT loss to Pitt
Syracuse fought back from a double-digit deficit to force overtime against Pitt, but its momentum was short lived, leading to the Orange's 71-69 loss to conclude the regular season. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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It wasn’t supposed to be like this. When the Orange began their third season under Adrian Autry, the expectation was a shot at March Madness.
Instead, Saturday was a fight between two Atlantic Coast Conference bottom feeders in need of drastic conference tournament runs.
Syracuse (15-16, 6-12 ACC) fell to Pitt (12-19, 5-13 ACC) 71-69 in overtime, finishing its regular season under .500 for the second straight year. The Orange will be the No. 14 seed in Charlotte next week at the ACC Tournament, one spot worse than a year ago despite heavier investment for Autry’s third year.
With seconds to play in regulation, Nate Kingz had a chance at a go-ahead shot, but it went in-and-out. Damarco Minor then missed his chance at the buzzer, moving the contest to overtime.
Minor took a 69-67 lead for Pitt with a contested mid-range bucket a few minutes into the extra period. Donnie Freeman then tied it with a driving layup. A 69-69 stalemate ensued until Pitt’s last chance. Freeman chucked up a brick with 10 seconds left as SU’s last possession faltered.
Nojus Indrusaitis drove to the bucket with four seconds to go, and William Kyle III was called for a goaltend, giving Syracuse a final chance trailing by two. The Orange just barely got the ball to halfcourt, and Naithan George’s halfcourt heave was off the mark, resulting in their fifth straight loss.
In the first matchup between the two squads on Jan. 10, SU’s final road win of the year, the Orange took control by shutting down Pitt from 3 and making plenty of their own. This time around, with just three days before an ACC Tournament game, Syracuse was without freshmen Sadiq White and Kiyan Anthony.
The Orange got it going with Kyle slamming home multiple dunks. But SU’s defense couldn’t get a stop against the ACC’s second-worst offense. Cameron Corhen knocked down a mid-range shot and a 3 early on, filling the void of Brandin Cummings, who dropped 29 against Syracuse in January but is out for the year.
The Panthers outrebounded the Orange 12-5 through the first eight minutes as they built a lead as large as nine. SU battled back with an 8-0 run, but nothing was clicking from beyond the arc for both squads as they went a combined 5-of-23 in the first half.
Syracuse climbed back to tie the game at 24 with minutes to play in the opening frame. The two sides wrestled back and forth before the Orange popped off another 7-0 run, carrying a three-point lead into halftime.
J.J. Starling averaged nearly 18 points per game a season ago. Yet in his last two games before Saturday, Starling scored just two points in each. He didn’t score at all versus Pitt. Meanwhile, George poured in a quick 16 to keep SU in the game while Corhen and Barry Dunning Jr. put the Panthers in front with steady scoring.
We’ve seen this story before. A close game in the second half turned into a 10-point deficit for the Orange with 12:53 to go. Pitt rattled off a 12-0 run as Syracuse couldn’t score for nearly four minutes. Though SU’s consistent inconsistencies played into its favor, as it battled back to make it a game once again.
Kingz drove downhill to take a 59-57 lead, though Corhen brought it right back with three minutes to play. The Orange reclaimed the lead with George at the free throw line, as his 26 points hit a career-high.
Kingz took the lead again at 63-61 after Pitt tied it. After the Panthers split free throws, they got a stop and delivered a right corner 3 to take a 65-63 lead. As both sides went back and forth with under 90 seconds to play, Freeman made two free throws to draw even again. Both shots missed in the final minute, and the Orange needed to win it in overtime, already locking up the No. 14 seed in the ACC Tournament due to a Wake Forest win.
Starling didn’t play across the final 11 minutes of the second half and all of overtime until the last possession, when he inbounded the ball to George.
It was another loss. As Autry walked off the JMA Wireless Dome floor to a familiar feeling, it could be the final time as Syracuse’s head coach.
