Syracuse basketball is one of the hottest teams in the country. Here are all the highlights from its latest win vs Pittsburgh in the dome.
Syracuse basketball continues to find ways to get it done on the hardwood. On Saturday afternoon in the dome, the Orange won its fifth straight game in a massive win over Pittsburgh. Here’s how it all played out and who made their mark.
First half
Syracuse basketball entered the dome with a red smoking hot four-game winning streak, looking to make it five vs the Pittsburgh Panthers.
After a relatively slow start to the game, Syracuse started putting it on in the first half.
A lot of that was thanks to Buddy Boeheim who scored 18 first-half points cashing in three triple tries. Although several players had great moments that are worth mentioning.
Bourama Sidibe only had four points and six boards in the first half, but he was active and continued his red hot play from the Notre Dame game earlier in the week.
Somehow someway Elijah Hughes was held scoreless in the first half going 0-for-5 from the field and 0-for-3 from downtown. Hughes entered this game leading the conference in scoring.
Syracuse extended their lead to as much as 20 points in the first half, but a late rally by Pittsburgh and the Orange only making one basket in the final 4:50 of the first stanza helped narrowed the gap to 11 heading into halftime.
If the Orange are leading at the half, it’s usually a pretty good indicator of what’s going to happen in the game. Syracuse was 12-2 when they entered the half with a lead.
Buddy Boeheim pours in 18 in the opening 20 minutes pic.twitter.com/Od04WvE87p
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) January 25, 2020
Second half
In the second half, Quincy Guerrier really displayed his physicality and explosiveness on the glass. When you pair that with Marek Dolezaj, you’ve got an intriguing combination.
But in back-to-back games the Orange after holding large leads, allowed them to slip away in the final moments. Vs Notre Dame earlier in the week it was due to some lackadaisical play at the end ie playing not to lose as opposed to playing to win.
In this one Syracuse just went stone cold and Pitt got hot, a bad recipe for the end of a game situation.
After going scoreless in the first half, Elijah Hughes somehow kept his double-digit scoring streak alive with a thunderous slam. Hughes is the only Syracuse player to accomplish that feat this season.
Fortunately, the Orange were able to squeak out a victory thanks to some clutch baskets down the stretch.
Syracuse held off Pittsburgh 69-61 and improved to 13-7 on the year and 6-3 in the ACC. In addition, the Orange have won five straight games on the year.
Up next Syracuse will put its perfect conference road record (4-0) on the line vs the Clemson Tigers on Tuesday, January 28.