Coming off a double overtime thriller on Wednesday, Syracuse basketball (15-11, 6-7 ACC) rallied in the second half to take down SMU (17-8, 6-6 ACC) 79-78 thanks to a game-winning layup by Nate Kingz with 2.3 seconds left.
Down 1 with 13.9 seconds left, head coach Adrian Autry called a timeout and set up the game-winning play for guard Nate Kingz. Kingz got the ball at the top of the key with a smaller player guarding him, used his size to get his spot in the paint, and then converted a contested layup with just over 2 seconds left to give the Orange the lead and ultimately the win.
“In those situations, we want to go with Nate. He’s playing at a really high level right now,” Autry said. “I was confident in him getting a shot off, and he delivered and executed the play just like we drew it up.”
“Will (Kyle) is sealing the big, so all I have to do is drive left, and if I beat my man, it’s basically a wide-open layup,” Kingz added. “We executed the play perfectly. I got the look I wanted with a shorter defender on me, and we won the game.”
Kingz was the hero on Saturday afternoon in the JMA Wireless Dome, adding on 13 points and 5 rebounds to go along with his game-winning shot.
Donnie Freeman led the Orange in scoring, finishing with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. However, the player who sparked this second-half rally was freshman guard Kiyan Anthony. Anthony scored all 13 of his points in the second half, hitting numerous big shots to help propel Syracuse past a 12-point deficit with 12 minutes remaining in the contest.
“I thought Kiyan gave us a huge boost. He made some big shots, big drives, and finished plays,” Autry said. “He played with the intensity that you need to play with. I was happy for him.”
“In the first half, I only took one shot and was trying to contribute to the game in different ways,” Anthony added. “In the second half, it kind of opened up for me early, and I just took it and ran with it. Great opportunity for me.”
Just two games after receiving zero minutes against Virginia, Anthony kept his head up, stayed ready, and produced in a big-time way when his number was called.
“Just staying in the gym consistently no matter what,” Anthony said. “All the narratives and stuff that are out there—just not feeding into any of that. Just staying ready, and my number was called today. It was a good rhythm today for me and the team.”
Naithan George was also a key contributor for Syracuse, finishing the game with 16 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. The lineup of George and Anthony in the backcourt, Kingz and Betsey on the wings, and Kyle down low is what flipped the script on this contest and spearheaded the Orange to victory.
Despite the win for Syracuse, the Mustangs dominated in the paint all game, outrebounding the Orange and outscoring them 44-26 in the paint and 27-6 on second-chance points. Still, Syracuse made just enough timely plays from beyond the arc and on the defensive end of the floor to close it out late.
The Orange look to carry this momentum into a very difficult matchup at Cameron Indoor Stadium when they take on the Duke Blue Devils on Monday night at 7.