PITTSBURGH — Syracuse paired an efficient shooting start with late defensive stops to earn an 83–72 road win over Pittsburgh Wednesday night at the Petersen Events Center.
The Orange controlled the first half by pushing tempo off mistakes and converting them into points. Syracuse finished with 22 points off turnovers and carried an 11-point lead into halftime, fueled by strong perimeter shooting and early aggression from its guards.
Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said the opening stretch put the Panthers behind the eight ball.
“I’m disappointed with our attention to detail defensively to start the game,” Capel said. “You can’t dig a hole like we did … and expect to beat a good team.”
Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry credited the shot-making early and stops late.
“They really shot the basketball well, especially in the first half,” Capel said, noting Syracuse made eight threes in the first 20 minutes. Autry said when Syracuse shoots it well, “and we lock in defensively… we’ll give ourselves a chance pretty much every game.”
Donnie Freeman led all scorers with 22 points, while JJ Starling added 19 and helped set the tone on both ends. Autry called Starling “tremendous,” adding that he “set the tone right from the beginning.”
Pitt made a second-half push behind Brandin Cummings, who scored 29 points off the bench and cut the deficit to seven late. But Syracuse responded at the free-throw line, going 13-for-15 (83%) to close the game.
Autry said Syracuse’s key late was simple: “When we have those dips… we got to lock back in on defense.”