Syracuse, N.Y. – Syracuse’s defense, which had been giving up points at a record rate, shut down Pittsburgh in a 77-61 win over the Panthers on Tuesday at the Carrier Dome.
The win snapped Syracuse’s three-game losing streak in which the Orange had given up 74, 88 and 77 points in losses to Virginia, Miami and Wake Forest.
Syracuse, which came into the game last in the ACC in points allowed, dominated the game on the defensive end. Syracuse had been giving up 76.5 points per game, the most in more than 50 years.
>> Box score
Syracuse took control of the game at the start of the second half thanks to its defense and Pittsburgh’s woeful offense.
The Orange held Pittsburgh without a field goal for the first nine minutes of the half. By the time Pitt forward Mo Gueye made a jumper with 10:43 left in the game, Syracuse had taken a 58-43 lead.
Syracuse limited Pittsburgh to 18-for-47 (38%) field goal shooting. In the second half, the Panthers made just four of their 21 field goal attempts.
The win allowed Syracuse to even its record at 8-8 for the season. The Orange is now 2-3 in the ACC.
Pittsburgh fell to 6-10 for the year and 1-4 in the conference.
Syracuse senior Buddy Boeheim scored 24 points to lead the Orange’s offense. Jimmy Boeheim contributed 18 points.
Syracuse center Jesse Edwards outplayed his Pittsburgh counterpart. Edwards finished with 12 points and eight rebounds and stayed out of foul trouble, which had been his big problem of late. He did eventually foul out in the final minutes Tuesday.
Edwards also made life difficult for Pitt center John Hugley, who came into the game averaging nearly 16 points per game. Hugley struggled to eight points on 1-for-8 field goal shooting.
Hugley was the one who encountered foul trouble, picking up his fourth personal with 9:27 left in the game when he charged into Edwards.
Syracuse trailed 32-25 with just less than four minutes remaining in the first half, but the Orange closed the half on a 10-2 run.
The Orange picked up where it had left off when play resumed after halftime. At one point, Syracuse had strung together a 26-5 run to take a commanding 51-37 lead.
Pittsburgh’s 61 points were just one more than the fewest scored by any Syracuse opponent this season. Syracuse held both Drexel and Florida State to 60 points earlier this season.
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