DURHAM, N.C. – In a closely contested first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Syracuse men’s basketball faced a tough challenge from the #14-ranked Duke, only to succumb to a string of three-pointers in the second half, resulting in an 86-66 defeat.
The beginning of the contest started shaky for the Orange as Duke led with a pace Syracuse could not quite match at first, which led to early fouls on starters Chris Bell and Naheem McLeod.
Acknowledging how the game would be officiated, Syracuse began to get into a rhythm as they went back and forth consistently with the Blue Devils, only down two (35-33) going into the half.
For the first 27 minutes of the game, Syracuse fought a hard battle with the Blue Devils, trailing by no more than six at any given point, leading twice.
However, after giving the Orange enough time to feel confident in the game, the Blue Devils quickly showed why they are a top-15 team.
Shooting an ice-cold 0-9 from behind the arc in the first half, Duke found their spark after an illegal screen was set by Naheem McLeod just nine seconds into the second half, resulting in a 3-pointer for Jared McCain on the next possession for the Blue Devils. The freshman then home team in just the second half.
“Coming into this game we knew this is probably one of the best teams offensively in the country,” said Autry. “They have guys that can shoot it.”
Offensively for the Orange, 17 turnovers led to their second-half demise.
“I thought some of the times our spacing wasn’t where it needed to be. We just had live-ball turnovers that led to 3-point shots.
Self-inflicted wounds is what Coach Autry called those turnovers as Duke finished with 26 points on Syracuse errors.
“You can’t do that against any good team,” said Autry. “Especially not against this team right here.”
Heading into the final minutes of regulation game play, what was still an in-reach game trailing by 6 through about three quarters of the game, escalated to 10, then 20, as the energy and intensity of the Orange began to dwindle.
“We just have to continue to get better,” said Autry. “These have been games where we’ve battled well into the second half and it’s just gotten away from us … it’s come down to turnovers.”
Star guard Judah Mintz finished with 18 points and six assists but had five of the 9 second-half turnovers for the Orange.
“We just have to stay focused and be ready to play Boston College next week,” said Mintz.
Despite the visible look of frustration on the face of some of the Syracuse players, Maliq Brown continued to stay poised and demonstrate his six-man capabilities, ending with a career-high 26 points, leading all scorers in the game, and contributing 7 rebounds.
“My role on the team is still the same,” said Brown. “I’m just trying to add to my game as much as possible.”
The Orange will have a week off to prepare for their next ACC opponent, Boston College on January 10 back in the JMA Wireless Dome where they remain undefeated. Tip-off is set for 9 PM.