Field Level Media
Jan 31, 2021
Alan Griffin provided 19 points and Buddy Boeheim scored 17 points as Syracuse overcame visiting North Carolina State for a 76-73 victory Sunday night.
The Orange (10-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) held NC State to 26 second-half points.
Kadary Richmond's 14 points, Marek Dolezaj's 11 points (eight rebounds, six assists) and Quincy Guerrier's 10 points (10 rebounds) aided Syracuse's balanced attack. Boeheim, who had been in a shooting slump, made 4 of 8 from 3-point range.
Jericole Hellems provided 22 points and nine rebounds while Manny Bates posted 17 points and 14 rebounds for NC State (7-6, 3-5), which won just one game in January against five defeats. Braxton Beverly added 11 points.
NC State played its first game since losing team scoring leader Devon Daniels to a season-ending knee injury during the second half of Wednesday night's home victory against Wake Forest. Daniels held the best marks on the team in points (16.5 per game), assists (3.1) and steals (1.7), entering Sunday.
The Wolfpack, which won last season at the Carrier Dome behind Daniels' 23 points, also was without forward DJ Funderburk because of a university issue.
NC State shot 52 percent from the field in the first half but dropped off tremendously in the final 20 minutes. The Wolfpack led by as many as 11 in the first half before settling for a 47-38 edge at the break.
The Wolfpack shot 0-for-8 on 3-pointers in the second half.
Boeheim sank a 3-pointer with 4:24 left to push Syracuse's edge to 70-65. The Wolfpack scored the next four points, the latter basket coming after a Bates blocked shot led to Dereon Seabron's transition bucket.
After Hellems made the second free throw of a two-shot opportunity, the Wolfpack trailed 72-70 at the 46-second mark. But NC State needed to foul five times before putting the Orange at the foul line, with Dolezaj hitting both ends of a 1-and-1 with 18 seconds left.
NC State's Thomas Allen made three foul shots with six seconds to play. Griffin made a pair of free throws at the other end before Cam Hayes' attempt to tie the game was off the mark.
NC State entered the weekend leading the ACC in steals with 9.42 per game, but had only seven compared to Syracuse's nine.
It was the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams in a 10-day span.
--Field Level Media