Unfortunately, Syracuse basketball did on Tuesday night in Dallas what it has often done throughout the 2024-25 season.
The Orange, looking for its first quadrant-one win this campaign, led for nearly 90 percent of its Atlantic Coast Conference clash with SMU on Tuesday evening at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas.
The Mustangs, desperate to avoid a bad loss and keep its 2025 NCAA Tournament hopes alive, led by as many as two points, but SMU led when it mattered the most.
The 'Cuse held a 12-point edge mid-way through the second half on the road against one of the ACC's better squads. Yet the Mustangs corralled an offensive rebound and scored on a put-back to take a 77-75 lead with about two seconds left.
Junior guard J.J. Starling heaved up a 3-point attempt at the buzzer that nearly went in, but alas, the shot didn't fall. The result was a heartbreaking 77-75 setback for the Orange in a 2024-25 stanza that has proven full of such outcomes for the 'Cuse.
Syracuse basketball had a 10-point advantage in the first half and went into the locker room at halftime up by a count of 44-36. In the second half, the Orange kept its advantage throughout, but down the stretch, the team's defense let it down once again.
Credit the Mustangs (22-8, 13-6 in the ACC) for hanging around. On its senior night, SMU, one of the highest-scoring offenses in the ACC in 2024-25, kept within striking distance and made its move as the game inched toward its conclusion.
Simply put, in this contest's final minutes, the 'Cuse couldn't get stops on the defensive end, and turnovers, per the norm in 2024-25, proved a problem for Syracuse basketball.
Syracuse basketball, on Tuesday at SMU, blew another big lead against an ACC opponent.
The Orange committed 14 miscues. SMU led 16-9 in points off turnovers. The 'Cuse shot well on Tuesday night, hitting from around 48 percent from the field and nearly 41 percent from beyond the arc.
Candidly, if the Mustangs made their free throws, this encounter wouldn't have been so close. SMU was just 13-of-27 from the charity stripe, however, the Mustangs managed to walk away with a dramatic triumph over Syracuse basketball in the first-ever meeting between the programs.
As has been a trend throughout 2024-25, the Orange (12-18, 6-13 in the ACC) would build up a double-digit lead versus a foe, only to see it evaporate in the second half. Needless to say, this is a frustrating loss for the 'Cuse, which will host Virginia on Saturday night in the regular-season finale before heading to the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.
Against SMU, Syracuse basketball put forth a balanced scoring attack, with six players notching at least 10 points. Senior guard/wing Lucas Taylor led the charge, tallying 13 points. Senior point guard Jaquan Carlos finished with 12 points and eight assists, against just two turnovers.
Graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr. nearly had another double-double, registering 10 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard J.J. Starling added 10 points, four rebounds and six assists, although he shot just 3-of-17 from the field.