SMU spoils Syracuse’s redemption tour decisively, advance to third round of ACC tournament play 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Southern Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs (23-9, 13-7 ACC), spoiled the redemption tour for Syracuse (14-19, 7-13 ACC), crushing the Orange in a decisive 73-53 victory in the second round of the ACC Tournament. 

While the Mustangs trailed in their first matchup against Syracuse for over 35 minutes, they led the Orange for over 26 minutes in this game, including the entire second half.  Syracuse got off to the hot start they needed to, JJ Starling making his first three shots of the night.  The Orange would make five of their first seven field goal attempts as a team, holding the lead for the first eight minutes of gameplay.   

But SMU would respond, making four of their next five shots and holding Syracuse scoreless over a three-minute span, taking a 12-11 lead with 12:05 remaining in the first half.  SU and SMU would go on to trade baskets & points at the free throw line for the next seven minutes, the lead changing hands five times in that span. 

The Mustangs would then take the lead 22-21 over the Orange off a Chuck Harris triple, who scored 12 points on the night shooting 3-5 from beyond the arc.  Once SMU took the lead, they did not let it go for the rest of the game, as things on offense and defense began to click for the Mustangs.  They would pull out to their biggest lead of the night up to that point of nine points off two straight triples from Kario Oquendo, his only baskets of the evening in his 8-point performance.   

The Orange would hang around before the break, responding to SMU’s triples with two of their own in back-to-back possessions from JJ Starling and Jyare Davis.  SMU would lead Syracuse at the half 31-28. 

The Orange started the second half sloppy on offense, going 0-5 from the field and committing four turnovers in the first five and a half minutes, including back-to-back turnovers from Starling.  The Mustangs would go on a 10-0 run in that span, extending their lead over Syracuse 41-28.  

Two quick baskets from Jyare Davis helped cut the SMU lead to eight with 14:00 left to play.  However, after a tip-in by SMU’s Matt Cross on the ensuing possession, the Mustangs would retain their double digit lead the rest of the way.  They heated up down the stretch, making their last seven shots of the game in route to a 73-53 victory over the Orange. 

Syracuse had moments where their defense kept them in the game, forcing 15 SMU turnovers.  However, the Mustangs’ defense was even more suffocating throughout the night.  They would also force 15 turnovers and contest nearly every drive SU had to the basket, forcing seven missed layups from the Orange.  Once SMU found their stride in the second half, they did not let go of their opportunity to pull away with the lead when given the chance. 

“We were also aware that they had a game yesterday,” said SMU guard Chuck Harris, “and I think in the second half, we went up 10, and the guys kind of huddled up and just said, this is the time to put the foot on the gas and keep it that way. And we ended up running away with it at the end.” 

The Mustang players praised Coach Andy Enfield for putting together an effective game plan to stop Eddie Lampkin. They were able to execute it, holding Lampkin to 5 points on 1-2 FG in the game.

Coach Enfield recognized SMU’s need to stop Lampkin, saying, “We double-teamed every time he touched the ball. He’s had an outstanding second half of the ACC season. He’s a very good player, and we certainly respect him. And so we try to get the ball out of his hands, make him pass. Forced him on our double-teams. I thought we did a great job of forcing some turnovers and deflections. We got a few steals on tipped balls and just tried to prevent him from getting a lot of shot attempts.”  

Their defensive effort against Lampkin stifled Syracuse’s offense the whole game, which Coach Adrian Autry took note of following the loss.

“We couldn’t really get the ball inside to Eddie like we usually do, and he’s a big part of what we do,” said Coach Autry, “and when we can’t get the ball into him, we struggle.” 

Despite Syracuse’s disappointing season coming to an end Wednesday night, there was high praise from the seniors, who really enjoyed their time in the Orange uniform.

“It’s an amazing school, amazing program. We’ve got a good coach, amazing teammates, and I’d just say it was a blessing. I wouldn’t want be nowhere else,” said Eddie Lampkin when asked to sum up his experience this season. “We didn’t play our best during the season, but these are my brothers I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We’ve got good relationships, and that’s all you can ask for. It’s Syracuse, so I loved it.” 

Senior transfer Jaquan Carlos doubled down on the brotherhood, saying, “I feel like we didn’t play the way we wanted, but if I could do it all again, I wouldn’t choose nowhere else. Coach Red, we wanted to do it all for him,”  

Carlos added, “We know all the pressure we’ve been handling all season. We’ve been doubted all year. Nobody really turned on each other, pointing fingers. We all tried to stick together and get it done. So the experience of being here just watching Syracuse growing up is always a dream and just being a part of it and saying that I could play with this name across my chest, was something very big, and I just tried to go my hardest every time.” 

When asked about things Syracuse could build on for next season from the hardships of this season, Coach Autry declined to comment, stating, “To be able to kind of talk about it right now, I wouldn’t be able to give you a really good answer.” 

As SMU’s season continues, the Mustangs are confident in their ability to knock off Clemson in the next round of play. 

“Yeah, we played them before with one of our guys sitting down, and it was still a close game,” said SMU forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton, “So I feel like going into this game, we know what we need to work on. We know the things we need to fix. And now having our point guard back (Boopie Miller), it’s going to be a different ballgame, again, that we see coming to our side.” 

Coach Enfield, however, does recognize the formidableness of their next opponent, sharing their need to play hard, especially with Boopie Miller back in the lineup. 

“To be 18-2 in the league and not win the league is really amazing. But they deserve their ranking nationally. They’re very experienced, very physical,” said Coach Enfield, “We didn’t have Boopie when we played them at home, so hopefully, that will make a little bit of difference with our speed and play making. But we have to come out and play outstanding defense all night for 40 minutes to have a chance to beat them.”

The sixth-seeded SMU Mustangs will face the second-seeded and 10th ranked Clemson Tigers (26-5, 18-2 ACC), in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.  Tipoff is set to begin tonight at 9:30pm on ESPN2.