Syracuse just was not up to the task Wednesday night and their season ended in the second round of the ACC Tournament against SMU, 73-53. The 14th-seeded Orange (14-19) hurt themselves time and again with 15 turnovers and the six-seed Mustangs (23-9) were happy to take advantage, converting them into 18 points.

SU made their first three shots of the night, then essentially went into a slump the rest of the night, finishing with a 34.0 percent success rate from the field. Playing in their second game in as many nights was likely a contributing factor, as the second half was particularly rough. Syracuse shot just 8-of-30 (26.7 percent) from the field and were outrebounded by a 21-11 margin after the break.

The Orange got out to a quick start, scoring on two of their first three possessions for a 5-0 lead. SMU briefly tied the score, but SU went back on top with back-to-back baskets, including an emphatic slam from Jyare Davis for an 11-7 lead less than six minutes into the action.

The Mustangs ran off the next five points to take their first lead, but the Syracuse bench pushed back in front, 15-12, off a pair of Kyle Cuffe Jr. free throws and an inside score from Naheem McLeod. That three-point margin was the largest for either side for several minutes until SMU stitched together six straight markers for a 25-21 lead with just over four minutes until the break.

J.J. Starling his one foul shot to stop the streak, but Kario Oquendo hit back-to-back 3’s to boost the SMU lead to 31-22. The Orange bounced back with Starling and Davis 3-pointers sandwiching a forced shot clock violation to pull within three. McLeod’s two blocked shots in the final minute helped keep SU within 31-28 at halftime.

The Mustangs took advantage when the Syracuse offense stayed in the locker room when the action resumed, posting the first seven points of the second half to stretch their lead to double digits. SMU added another 3 after the first media timeout to push their lead to 41-28 before Davis scored to break the Orange drought.

Davis added a 3-pointer to bring SU within eight, but that was as good as it got the rest of the way. The Mustangs immediately pushed the lead back out to a dozen and kept it in double figures the rest of the way.

Starling was the top scorer on the night, finishing with 16 points. Davis was the only other Syracuse player to reach double figures, finishing with 14 points. Eddie Lampkin grabbed nine rebounds in the game.

Matt Cross and Chuck Harris led the Mustangs with a dozen points apiece. Cross had nine rebounds while Harris hit three 3-pointers. Keon Ambrose-Hylton and Boopie Miller each chipped in with ten points while B.J. Edwards added nine and Oquendo eight.

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