Copeland hits the game winner as Syracuse survives Louisville
In a game befitting two of the worst defensive teams in the ACC, Syracuse and Louisville got into a track meet early and it lasted to the final second as the Orange (15-8, 6-6 ACC) escaped with a 94-92 victory. SU took an 87-81 lead with 2:25 to play, but gave the lead back as the Cardinals (7-16, 2-10) tied the game at 92 a side with 6.6 seconds to play.
Quadir Copeland, however, took an inbounds pass and raced downcourt, getting what proved to be the winning basket for Syracuse on a goaltending call with 3.8 seconds left. Louisville was still able to go the length of the court and get a potential game-winning 3-pointer off, but Skyy Clark’s shot missed, allowing the Orange to escape.
The up-and-down final moments of action were fitting for a game where defense was almost always optional. SU shot 60.8 percent from the field, including 45.5 percent from 3-point range, as Chris Bell was unstoppable outside, going 8-for-10 from deep. The Cards found things almost as easy on offense, cooling off in the second half to finish at 53.8 percent overall and 44.0 percent beyond the arc.
In their first game without Benny Williams, Syracuse found their offense easiest in transition, piling up 33 fast break points in the game, many coming off the 17 Louisville turnovers they forced. Every point was necessary, however, as their guests racked up 14 offensive rebounds as part of a 40-21 margin on the boards and turned those extra opportunities into a 23-3 advantage in second chance points.
The Orange got the initial basket of the game, but were flat otherwise, giving up the next nine points of the contest and setting head coach Adrian Autry up to call a timeout. The break served as a wakeup call for SU, as Bell and J.J. Starling each scored five during a 14-2 run capped by nine straight markers to take a 16-11 lead and force a Louisville timeout.
That break reset things for the Cardinals, who answered with eight straight points to go back in front headed into the under-12 media timeout. Syracuse came out firing again, as Bell had five more points to key an 11-3 run for a 27-22 lead with a little over eight minutes to play in the opening half.
Louisville quickly erased that gap and the two teams played within one possession for most of the rest of the half. The Orange were the exception to that margin, as they pushed the lead first to four, then later to a half dozen before settling for a 49-45 lead at the break.
The margin was even closer after the opening minutes of the second half, as the Cards got an early 8-2 run to turn a four-point hole into a 57-55 lead just over four minutes after intermission. Both teams stayed within one possession of the other until Louisville got back-to-back scored around the nine-minute mark to take a 71-67 edge.
Judah Mintz wiped out that deficit for SU, but the guests put together an 8-2 run to grab their biggest lead of the second half at 79-73 with just under six minutes remaining. The Syracuse backcourt quickly erased that Cardinal lead as Starling hit a 3-pointer and Mintz added a three-point-play, then two Starling foul shots made it an 8-0 Orange run and 81-79 lead with just over four to play.
Louisville knotted the score, but Bell drained a triple and Starling made all three foul shots after being fouled on an attempt of his own late in the shot clock, giving SU that 87-81 lead.
Bell was electric on the perimeter, pouring in a career-high 30 points on 11-for-15 shooting, including those eight 3’s. He also tied another personal-best with six rebounds. Mintz added 21 points and Starling 19. Maliq Brown had 11 points and nine rebounds while setting career highs with six blocks and five steals while Copeland complemented his 11 points with a team-high seven assists and three steals.
Clark poured in 16 of his team-leading 23 points in the second half for the Cards. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Tre White each had a double-double, the former with 19 points and 13 rebounds and the latter with 17 points and a dozen boards. Mike James chipped in with a dozen points and Ty-Laur Johnson added nine.
----
Chat about this story and all things Syracuse and Syracuse recruiting on our premium message board, Cuse Classified!
Follow us on Twitter @TheJuiceOnline, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @SUJuiceOnline and listen to our podcast.
Tips/questions/concerns? E-mail Recruiting Analyst Charles Kang here.
Not a subscriber to The Juice Online? Join today for access to all our premium content and message board community.