Syracuse basketball outlasted Tennessee, 62-60, in the ACC-SEC Challenge in a back-and-forth battle that saw 12 ties and 16 lead changes.
After missing out on three Quad 1 victories last week at the Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas, the Orange finally came up victorious in a huge win over the 13th-ranked Volunteers. This was their first win over Tennessee since 1993.
In a contest where neither team had a lead of double digits, a free throw each from big men William Kyle III and Sadiq White in the final seconds sealed the non-conference victory at the JMA Wireless Dome.
The Orange were without leading scorer Donnie Freeman for the fourth game in a row, but Nate Kingz did more than enough to make up for his absence. Kingz was aggressive from the opening tip, finishing with all 19 points of his points in the first half, along with 7 rebounds, a steal, and a block. He carried the load offensively for Syracuse basketball in the first half, as they went into the locker room with a two-point advantage, thanks to a putback layup at the buzzer by Tyler Betsey.
Head coach Adrian Autry had high praise for Kingz’s play on both ends of the floor tonight.
“Offensively he was phenomenal in the first half,” Autry said. “But the defensive job that he did on Ja’Kobi Gillespie was also exceptional.”
Kingz helped Gillespie to just 10 points on 5-12 shooting and 0-3 from behind the arc.
“Man, I was so tired,” Kingz joked. “In the second half, I was just fully committed to making sure he didn’t get going.”
The Orange defense as a whole was outstanding once again tonight, forcing 17 turnovers and totaling 10 steals and 8 blocks, while also holding Tennessee without a made field goal for more than four full minutes down the stretch of the second half.
“That’s what we always talk about,” Autry added. “We want two-way guys.”
Along with the clutch free throws in crunch time, William Kyle and Sadiq White both impressed on that side of the floor tonight.
Kyle protected the glass all night, finishing with 6 blocks and 7 total rebounds to go with his 10 points.
“Just go out there and battle,” Kyle said. “I know I’m not going to be perfect, but I’m just going to go out there and fight every game for 40 minutes.”
White had 2 early fouls in the first half but bounced back mightily, finishing with 10 points, 3 steals, and 9 rebounds, including the game-sealing one through traffic with less than a second left.
Freshman standout Kiyan Anthony also had a strong contribution off the bench, finishing with 7 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound.
J.J. Starling, the senior captain and leader for this Syracuse basketball team, was absolutely crucial and put the team on his back down the stretch.
“Our senior leader,” Autry said. “He stepped up when we needed him most.”
Starling hit a three-pointer to put the Orange up 58-56 with 3:00 remaining in the second half. After a defensive stop on the other end, Starling came down again and nailed a midrange jumper with 2:05 remaining to put Syracuse up 4.
“I just want to help this team win and become a more complete player,” Starling stated. “I’m taking on that challenge. God gave me the physical tools, so it’s all about going out and using those.”
That 4-point cushion was all that the Orange needed to hold on and come away with a coveted statement win.
Syracuse basketball looks to build momentum off this victory when they host Saint Joseph’s Dec. 11.