Syracuse basketball lost its first home game of the season to Hofstra in controversial fashion, leaving fans audibly upset at the outcome inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
With 13 seconds left and Syracuse basketball down one, Kiyan Anthony drove to the basket looking to take the lead. As he completed a euro step, Anthony flailed his arms while attempting the shot and missed. Hofstra secured the rebound, forcing the Orange to foul with three seconds remaining.
Anthony quickly ran over to the ref to plead his case that he was fouled. In that same moment, the replay camera in the arena showed that the Hofstra defender did make contact with Anthony on his wrist as he went up for the shot.
From there, the crowd and his dad, Carmelo Anthony, went crazy in reaction to the no-call that would’ve led to potential game-winning free throws.
“Y’all seen the play, it was a clear foul,” Anthony said. “It’s nothing more I can do in that situation…if he didn’t grab my arm, I felt like I could’ve reversed it and finished on the other side. I felt my hand being grabbed off the ball. I don’t lose the ball like that. I made a good move, and it was a clear foul. It’s not even 50/50…everybody seen it, that’s why they reacted like that.”
Before that sequence, Hofstra inbounded the ball with 15 seconds left while Syracuse applied a full-court press to force a five-second violation or a turnover. The inbound pass sailed toward J.J. Starling, who reached to try to deflect it, but the ball went out of bounds.
Officials ruled the ball tipped off Starling, awarding possession to Hofstra. Syracuse immediately challenged the call, but after a lengthy review, referees ruled the challenge unsuccessful, allowing Hofstra to retain possession.
The ruling cost Syracuse basketball its final timeout and its challenge.
Syracuse would then force Hofstra to commit a five-second violation, giving them a chance to win, but it was then spoiled by the no-call foul on Anthony’s attempt.
“At the end of the day, the foul wasn’t called,” William Kyle III said. “You got to control the controllables…It really doesn’t matter what I think. Foul wasn’t called, and we lost the game.”
Beyond the game-deciding sequence, Syracuse basketball struggled to slow down a Hofstra team that shot efficiently throughout the night. Hofstra shot 49% from the field, 66% from 3-point line and 100% from the free throw line.
The Pride were led by season scoring leader, Cruz Diaz, who finished with a game-high 22 points.
“If he’s not getting 35 points by himself, he’s generating that much,” head coach Adrian Autry said. “We haven’t played against a guy with that kind of speed…he did a really good job of stringing us out and being a good passer. He made shot after shot, and then he made some tough ones…he’s a big-time player, and he’s been playing like that the whole non-conference.”
Looking at this game, the officiating could be to blame for Syracuse, and that would stand the test of validity. But Syracuse’s ongoing struggles at the free throw line and difficulty executing offensively in critical moments also raised concerns about how the team will fare as the season progresses.
“We had certain things that we were going to do, we just didn’t execute,” Autry said. “You play against the zone, you look down and get the ball inside. We didn’t do that.”
The closer the season gets to tougher opponents like Duke, UNC, the ACC Tournament, and looking to be in the March Madness Tournament, there can be wonders on if this team can go far while trying to figure out their consistent issues.
“We are a good team,” Autry said. “We will be a good team…we’ll address what needs to be addressed and move forward to get better.”
Syracuse basketball dropped to 6-4 and returns to action Wednesday against Mercyhurst at 7 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome.