As February nears, every game in the Atlantic Coast Conference becomes important. With only ACC games left, every match offers another chance to secure a spot in the conference tournament.
Syracuse still has games against teams like Miami, Boston College, and Virginia, who are at the bottom of the standings.
However, it’s the teams slightly ahead of them that are most important to beat, as these games will affect seeding in March.
Despite Syracuse holding a one-point lead at halftime, Jaland Lowe’s 17 second-half points helped Pittsburgh win 77-73 on Saturday.
Syracuse (9-11, 3-6 ACC) lost to Pittsburgh (13-6, 4-4 ACC), missing the chance to beat a team with a similar record, which would have helped their position. This marked their sixth loss in the ACC.
Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry felt that it wasn’t the 11 turnovers or 40 missed shots that caused the loss. Instead, it was the timing of Syracuse’s effort.
“Toughness at the time that plays need to be made, they made them, and we didn’t. And that was the difference in the game,” Autry said after the game.
Down by five with three minutes left, Lucas Taylor went to the free throw line and made two points, cutting Syracuse’s deficit to three. Pittsburgh’s Zack Austin hit a 3-pointer, but Petar Majstorovic answered with a floater, bringing the lead back to four.
However, J.J. Starling missed a jumper, and Lowe finished the game at the free throw line, even though Chris Bell’s last-minute 3-pointer attempt didn’t go in.
It was Pittsburgh’s game from the start and to the finish. After winning the opening tip, Pittsburgh moved the ball around quickly, with Cameron Corhen finishing a layup. After a missed floater on the next possession, Corhen finished a lob pass from Guillermo Diaz Graham.
Syracuse had a strong start
Syracuse started strong, jumping out to a 13-4 lead in the first four minutes thanks to several 3-pointers. Starling hit a three from the top of the key to open the game, followed by a three from Jyáre Davis and a left-corner 3 from Elijah Moore.
Pittsburgh responded with their star players, Lowe and Ishmael Leggett, getting going. Leggett hit a 3-pointer, followed by a Lowe and-one play.
The duo came into the game averaging a combined 33.9 points per game, and on Saturday, they were the key players for Pittsburgh’s offense. Syracuse, however, used its rebounding advantage to fuel their offense.
Syracuse is ranked fifth in the ACC for rebounding, and with Eddie Lampkin Jr. dominating inside, they outrebounded Pittsburgh 8-4 early. This helped Syracuse take an 18-15 lead despite five turnovers.
As the first half went on, Pittsburgh’s press became more effective, and they regained the lead with a fast break to the basket. But Majstorovic hit a 3-pointer, and later converted a tip-in to give Syracuse a 23-21 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
Starling picked up two quick fouls and had to sit out, with Jaquan Carlos and Taylor taking over. The team built a 28-23 lead, and Starling stayed on the bench for the rest of the half.
Pittsburgh’s head coach Jeff Capel said the best way to defend Starling was by keeping him on the bench. Despite Starling’s absence, Syracuse ended the half with a 33-32 lead.
“We knew Pittsburgh would play a better first half, holding it to 32 points, we knew the second half would be a little bit more challenging,” Autry said. “But for the most part, it wasn’t good enough.”
Corhen came out strong in the second half, starting with a dunk to give Pittsburgh a 34-33 lead.
Starling quickly returned to the game and hit a three-pointer, but Diaz Graham answered with a 3-pointer to put Pittsburgh up 41-38 with 16:54 remaining. Lampkin responded with a basket inside.
Lampkin set a career-high with 23 rebounds, surpassing his previous record of 14 from his time at TCU.
It was the most rebounds by a Syracuse player in a single game this season. Despite this achievement, Lampkin wasn’t celebrating the performance.
Lampkin Jr. was not happy about the rebounds
“I don’t really care about 23 rebounds, but I lost, so it ain’t like I can go be happy and cheer about it, but I feel like I can go get more,” Lampkin Jr. said.
Syracuse tied the game at 43-43 with a 3-pointer from Moore, but Pittsburgh regained the lead with a floater from Lowe. Starling reentered in place of Carlos and quickly tied the game with a layup.
The game turned into a battle between Lowe and Starling. Lowe hit a left-handed floater, and after a Pittsburgh defensive stop, he followed up with another floater and added a free throw for an and-one.
Autry saw Lowe’s 17 second-half points as a result of his off-ball movement, which made it harder for Syracuse’s defense to keep up. Capel said it was mainly due to the other players around Lowe stepping up and making shots.
Lowe scored again, extending Pittsburgh’s lead to 53-45, their largest of the game. Syracuse responded with a 5-0 run, capped by a 3 from Bell. But Pittsburgh answered with a 5-0 run of their own to push the lead back to eight with eight minutes remaining.
With contributions from Starling, Lampkin, and a few 3-pointers from Bell, Syracuse fought to stay in the game. However, Lowe led Pittsburgh to victory, pushing Syracuse further down in the ACC standings.
After the game, Autry stood at the podium, gripping the sides of the desk. He spoke with a grim expression, rarely looking up from his stat sheet for over a minute.
Autry closed his eyes, rubbed his head with his left hand, and reflected on another tough loss. In his second season as head coach, he finds himself with more questions than answers, but knows he has to keep going.
“This is part of this journey. This is part of our season, and we gotta keep picking ourselves back up,” Autry said.
