A tip-in by Keon Ambrose-Hylton with 3.1 seconds left lifted SMU to a dramatic 77-75 victory over Syracuse on Tuesday night in Dallas.
With SMU (22-8, 13-6 ACC) holding possession and the score knotted at 75-all, Boopie Miller drove inside for a jumper that ended up off the mark with less than six seconds left. Ambrose-Hylton positioned himself for the offensive rebound and tipped the ball back off the glass and in.
J.J. Starling missed a desperation 3-pointer at the final buzzer for Syracuse (12-18, 6-13), which has lost five of its last six.
The Mustangs didn’t lead in the second half until the 46-second mark, when Miller found Ambrose-Hylton for a go-ahead layup and a 75-74 lead. Syracuse’s Jaquan Carlos made a free throw with 27 seconds left, tying the score and setting up SMU’s game-winner.
Kario Oquendo had a game-high 16 points off the bench and Chuck Harris added 13 points for the Mustangs, who kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Ambrose-Hylton finished with 12 points and Miller added 11. SMU shot 53.6 percent from the field, including 60.7 percent in the second half.
Lucas Taylor led six Orange players in double figures with 13 points, highlighted by a trio of 3-pointers. Eddie Lampkin chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds as Syracuse dropped to 2-9 on the road. Starling scored 10, shooting just 3 of 17 from the field, including 1 of 10 from 3-point range.
Syracuse led by 12 with 9:54 remaining, but saw that advantage whittled to 64-60 by the 7:35 mark on a 3 from Harris. The Orange’s lead never reached double digits again, and SMU caught fire late, closing on a 13-3 run in the final 5:12.
Syracuse had a similar conclusion to the opening half, ending on a 15-5 spurt for a 44-36 halftime lead. Chris Bell had eight points in the final 4:41 and Carlos hit a buzzer-beating 3 for the eight-point advantage.
–Field Level Media
