Syracuse overcomes the loss of Benny Williams in win

It was Syracuse’s first game this season after dismissing junior forward Benny Williams.

On an emotional evening, Syracuse basketball narrowly eeked out a 94-92 victory against Louisville, improving their record to 15-8 on the year and 6-6 in conference play.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Orange got it done down the stretch. 

“I was really proud of my team today because these last couple of days have been emotional,” head coach Adrian Autry said. “It’s been emotional the last couple of days, you know. Not only for our players but our staff, you know, so I give those guys all the credit.”  

The Cardinals got off to a strong start, forcing Autry to call a timeout less than three minutes into the contest when his squad was down 9-2. Syracuse responded with a 14-2 run out of the timeout, making Louisville call a timeout themselves.

An acrobatic finish by sophomore forward Chris Bell, followed by a slam from sophomore guard J.J. Starling midway through the first half, had the JMA Wireless Dome in a frenzy, passionately cheering on their beloved Orange. 

The lackluster defense from both teams made Louisville and Syracuse push the pace on the offensive end of the floor, leading to 33 points scored in just a 4:37 span.

Neither team took a sizable lead in the first 20 minutes, making it no surprise that when the game went into intermission, Syracuse led just 49-45. 

Bell led all scorers with 18 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field, including four makes from downtown. 

His hot shooting continued early in the second half, hitting his fifth and sixth three-pointers of the contest in the first five minutes of the final frame. 

With the Orange down two with 8:30 remaining, a transition basket from sophomore guard Judah Mintz tied the game and riled the restless crowd up. 

Louisville started to pull away, going up six with less than six minutes left, but the Orange responded with a Starling three.

Starling’s free throws with four minutes left gave the Orange their first lead since 12 minutes left in the game. 

Bell hit another triple to give the Orange a narrow lead and himself a career-high for threes made in a game. 

Frivolous “Let’s go Orange” chants permeated the Dome as the end got near, but Syracuse still had to take care of the Cardinals for another two minutes to be victorious. 

With less than two minutes left in the game, up three, sophomore guard Quadir Copeland went to the line and made it a two-possession game. Louisville responded with a three, but like he did all night, Bell came up clutch; hitting his eighth and final three of the game. 

Bell finished the game with a career-high 30 points.

“When a guy’s in a zone like that you don’t have to say much,” Adrian Autry said of Bell’s performance. “Only thing you talking to is other people make sure that they get him the ball.”

The game seemed all but over. However, missed free throws and abysmal defense led to the Cardinals tying the game at 92.

Photo by Ryan P. Jermyn

Louisville guard Tre White sinks a corner shot against the Orange at Wednesday’s game.

Syracuse immediately pushed after Louisville’s make and opted not to call timeout, leading to a game-winning Copeland layup with seconds remaining.

Chris Bell led all scorers, Mintz had 21 points, and Starling chipped in 19. Five players for the Orange scored in double figures.

Up next, Syracuse will host Clemson on Saturday in a weekend matinee. The game will be the return of Joe Girard III, who spent his four previous seasons in college with the Orange. Tip-off is at 12 p.m.