Jesse Edwards had 18 points and 16 rebounds as host Syracuse posted a 75-72 upset against No. 23 North Carolina State in ACC action on Tuesday evening.
Judah Mintz paced the Orange (16-10, 9-6 ACC) with 20 points and nine assists as the team won its third straight game. Joe Girard pitched in 14 points for the hosts, while Chris Bell added 11 points and Maliq Brown had 10.
The Wolfpack (20-7, 10-6) were led by D.J. Burns Jr., Jarkel Joiner and Jack Clark with 15 points apiece. Terquavion Smith added 14 points, while Joiner rounded out his impressive night with 11 assists and 10 rebounds for a triple-double.
Edwards’ three-point play with 1:47 to go created a 73-70 edge for the Orange, although Burns quickly responded with a bucket as he was fouled on the other end. However, the burly center missed the ensuing free throw and then committed an offensive foul on the Wolfpack’s next possession, leaving the visitors facing a one-point deficit with 49.3 seconds to play.
Mintz’s two free throws pushed the lead to 75-72 with 23.6 seconds left, and Syracuse survived a hectic final sequence. Joiner missed a tying 3-pointer and Clark was unable to convert the tip-in before the ball got batted into the backcourt, where Smith misfired on a halfcourt heave at the buzzer.
NC State used an 11-0 run to take a 19-10 lead midway through the first half before Syracuse rallied to go in front 27-24 with three minutes left. Shortly thereafter, Bell scored the final four points of the session to give the Orange a 35-31 lead at the break.
Syracuse’s largest lead came on Edwards’ three-point play that made it 50-43 with 13:15 remaining, but Smith promptly drilled two 3-pointers to get the visitors within a point.
Smith later tied the game at 63 with a long-range shot with 5:21 to go, and then Mintz took a turn draining a game-tying 3-pointer with 2:42 remaining, setting up the entertaining finish.
–Field Level Media
