SYRACUSE, N.Y. -The first half of this ACC match up looked hopeful for the Orange, but a lack of focus and carelessness cost them the game.
The Orange did what it does best in the first half, draining three-pointers and taking advantage of scoring opportunities. By halftime, Syracuse had nine points off turnovers and was shooting 80% from the free throw line.
But according to Orange head coach Adrian Autry, their performance in the second half just wasn’t up to par to get the win.
“We’re not doing things as a culture, staff and as players to win the games right now. That’s just the bottom line. These last two games, we did not do enough to win games, right?” Autry said.
The Hokies took full advantage of the subpar performance by the Orange in the second-half, holding Syracuse to only 41% shooting and scoring 46 points of its own.
Halfway through the second half, the Orange already had eight fouls and finished with 12 fouls in the final five minutes, allowing Virginia Tech to score 25 points from the free throw line.
One of the most costly plays of the night happened right from their free throw line as the Orange got within striking distance to the Hokies in the last few minutes, but an offensive rebound led to another missed scoring opportunity.
Cleaning up the game in that back half and focusing on the details that let this game slip through the Orange’s fingers was coach Autry’s main message after the match.
The players felt the same sentiment.
“All our games come to final possessions. So just going back to the drawing board, learning from our mistakes, and then just trying to perfect them,” said Sadiq White.