Syracuse’s offense couldn’t find a rhythm in its ACC opener against Clemson, falling 64-61 to the Tigers at the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday.
The Orange shot just 40% from the field against Clemson, which also held Syracuse’s leading scorer, Donnie Freeman, scoreless in the first half. Freeman missed all five of his shot attempts in the first half as the Orange trailed 29-28 at the break.
Freeman came alive in the second half, fueling a late Syracuse rally that came up just short when he missed a three-pointer that would have tied the game at 64 with eight seconds left. He finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds in his first game since a win over Monmouth on Nov. 18 after recovering from a foot injury.
With the loss, the Orange dropped to 9-5, while the Tigers improved to 11-3. Ahead of its next game against Georgia Tech on Jan. 6, Syracuse will have to wait a week to try and get back in the win column.
Another slow start hurts Syracuse
It was yet another game where Syracuse came out sluggish, and while the Orange didn’t immediately pay for it, they were forced to play from behind the rest of the way. Syracuse committed six turnovers in the first 12 minutes, allowing the Tigers to go on a 9-0 run after it led 3-2 for its only lead of the game. The Orange got away with their slow starts against some of their non-conference opponents, but they weren’t able to against Clemson and will need to avoid similar starts moving forward.
Donnie Freeman takes over in return
It took Freeman a while to get going, but once he did, he was a man on a mission. Freeman scored all of his 18 second-half points in the final 12 minutes, recording his first points of the game on a jumper from five feet out. Down the stretch, Freeman scored 10 straight points for Syracuse before Naithan George’s layup with 1:33 to play, and it was a reminder that the Orange are at their best when he’s on the court, something Syracuse will hope isn’t an issue now that Freeman is healthy again.
Rest of the starters struggle
While Freeman was an efficient 5-for-11 from the field in his minutes, the rest of Syracuse’s starters went cold. The other four starters combined for just 25 points on 8-for-26 shooting, with none of them hitting more than two shots. Naithan George and JJ Starling particularly struggled for the Orange, unable to provide much lift to Syracuse’s offense as they combined to shoot 4-for-16.
Improvement at the free-throw line
Syracuse’s free-throw shooting this season has left much to be desired. At the Player’s Era Tournament in Vegas, its deficiencies at the line were the difference in a narrow loss to then-No. 3 Houston. The Orange have continued to struggle since then, coming in as the worst free-throw shooting team in the country. Against Clemson, Syracuse showed signs of life, shooting 83% from the line on 24 attempts.
Dominated in the paint
The Orange only lost the rebound battle 31-30, but points in the paint were a completely different story. Syracuse was outmatched in the restricted area against the Tigers, who scored 46 points in the paint compared to just 24 from the Orange. The Tigers also had seven second-chance points while limiting Syracuse to two, and the difference in the paint proved to be a difference-maker for Clemson.
