Syracuse, N.Y. – It was a nail-biter on New Year’s Eve between the Syracuse Orange and the Clemson Tigers.
Entering the contest, the Orange had a 9-4 overall recording after finishing their non-conference portion of their schedule.
In the first half, the Orange struggled to slow down the Tigers’ offense. Clemson had a 12-3 run in the early minutes and continue to keep their foot on the gas pedal.
Syracuse was able to supply some offense to match up against the tough Clemson defense with 8 points from sophomore Tyler Betsey and 10 points from junior Naithan George.
The ‘Cuse had a major boost with sophomore Donnie Freeman returning to action after missing the last 13 games with a foot injury.
Freeman was the leading scorer off the bench for the Orange with 18 points and 9 rebounds. All of his points were scored in the 2nd half.
Freeman mentioned how if felt being back on the court with his teammates and help contribute on both sides of the ball.
“I’m just confident in myself,” Freeman said. “Just to get my rhythm and trying to see the ball through the net. Just trying to be the best version of myself.”
Head Coach Adrian Autry explains how Freeman will mesh well with his teammates over time.
“He’s going to continue to get better,” Autry said. “Sometimes when you have those insertions, it kind of disrupts things a little bit but that’s natural. He definitely surpassed what I expected of him.”
The Orange head into 2026 with a 9-5 record and matches up with Georgia Tech on Tuesday, January 6th.
Tipoff is at 7pm.