SMU stomps Syracuse to close out Orange’s season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Syracuse’s journey in the ACC Tournament ended Wednesday night with a 73-53 second-round loss to Southern Methodist. While J.J. Starling made a strong effort throughout the tournament, the Orange struggled to engage Eddie Lampkin and the supporting cast, ultimately sealing their postseason fate.

After free-throw struggles in the first round against Florida State, the Orange endured extended scoring droughts, and Starling couldn’t lift them out of their shooting woes.

“I thought SMU did a really good job in the second half defensively of making us work,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said. “They made it tough for us. I thought that was the difference in the game.”

SMU Stifles Syracuse Offense

Starling looked to continue his scoring momentum from Tuesday’s 27-point performance, draining a corner three-pointer assisted by Jyare Davis to open the game.

Syracuse played strong defense early, and after the first media timeout, Starling curled around a high-post screen and banked in a mid-range jumper.

A minute later, Lampkin tipped an offensive rebound to Jaquan Carlos, who reset the play instead of taking an open three. Lampkin then kicked the ball to Starling, who found a wide-open Davis for a dunk.

Despite Lampkin’s presence on the boards, he was a non-factor offensively, finishing with just five points on two shot attempts. Three of his points came from the free-throw line.

“Well, he only got two shot attempts tonight because we double-teamed every time he touched the ball,” SMU head coach Andy Enfield said. “He’s had an outstanding second half of the ACC season. He’s a very good player, and we certainly respect him, so we tried to get the ball out of his hands and make him pass.”

Lampkin downplayed SMU’s defensive approach.

“It was just another game,” he said, referring to the double-teams he has seen all season.

Following the final media timeout of the first half, Lampkin picked up his second foul with under four minutes remaining. In a three-minute span, Syracuse committed four turnovers, while SMU went on a 12-1 run to take a 31-22 lead.

Syracuse responded with a 6-0 spurt, converting its final three field goal attempts to trim the deficit to 31-28 at halftime.

Second-Half Collapse Seals Syracuse’s Fate

The Orange’s second-half start could not have come at a worse time in their season. Through the first five minutes, SU shot 0-for-5, committed four turnovers, and remained stuck at 28 points.

At the 14:25 mark, Davis finally ended Syracuse’s scoring drought. He followed it up with a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to eight.

With just under eight minutes remaining, Syracuse was 4-for-18 (14%) from the field and 1-for-7 from three-point range. The Orange had seven turnovers in the second half and 15 overall, leading to 18 SMU points off turnovers.

A late Starling three-pointer was quickly overshadowed by SMU’s B.J. Edwards, who raced past the Orange defense for an easy layup. As the clock wound down, Syracuse managed a few baskets but failed to make the defensive stops needed for a comeback.

Syracuse shot 8-for-30 in the second half, 2-for-14 from three, and committed seven turnovers after halftime.

Starling finished with 16 points on 6-for-17 shooting while battling visible fatigue.

“I think when we started the season, we thought J.J. would be a big part of it,” Autry said. “But his usage was a little bit more than what we would have wanted.”

Autry Reflects on Challenging Season

In the postgame press conference, a visibly emotional Autry declined to discuss postseason plans, instead reflecting on the challenges of his second season as head coach.

“I think the difficult part was trying to get these guys to try to win games and to figure the team out, and dealing with injuries,” Autry said. “I dealt with one injury last year. When I first took over this year, dealing with multiple injuries and multiple guys that were kind of being asked to be in new roles. But I’m sure it’s more things as the season is over with and I start to reflect.”