The Orange put themselves two games ahead of the Wolfpack in the ACC standings heading into Blacksburg, VA on Saturday which includes three contests left for Syracuse to round out the regular season.
FIRST HALF:
Syracuse did exactly what they needed to do in the first half. The Orange jumped out to a 38-25 lead by halftime and kept a comfortable double-digit cushion throughout. Guard JJ Starling was once again lopsided in a half, scoring just two points in the opening 20 minutes on 1-for-5 shooting. However, the junior had four assists.
Eddie Lampkin surpassed his six rebound mark in last week’s loss to Pitt with eight in the first half, along with a team-high nine points in the opening frame. Jyare Davis chipped in five points and four rebounds.
The ‘Cuse as a collective shot 50% in the first half, a number that was hovering around 60% for the majority of the first section of the game. SU had 22 of its point in the paint and attempted just six three-pointers, knocking down two.
SECOND HALF:
Syracuse got tested in some instances in the second half when NC State got within single digits for one possession. However, the Orange kept their composure and secured the 14-point win.
Starling posted 15 of his 17 points in the second half. The guard continues to show out in one half, and be slow in another half. Fortunately for Syracuse tonight, those tallies came at an adequate time when the Baldwinsville native put his SU squad on his back when things looked like they were slipping away towards the middle of the second frame.
Davis finished with 10 points.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Perhaps, the most impressive part of this win was the way that Syracuse kept its composure in the second half. Starling finished with 17 points.
Syracuse gears up for Saturday’s road matchup against Virginia Tech at noon.
