#1 Syracuse Escapes NC State Upset (with a little help) 56-55

In a game where neither team shot over 40 percent, the Syracuse Orange squeaked out a win against N.C. State. Neither team ever got going offensively, and truthfully, neither team deserved a win.

The Pack used its size in the front court to take advantage and of small and injury-depleted Syracuse that only played with a six-man rotation. T.J. Warren was the leading scorer for the Pack, producing 23 points on 11-22 from the field. But State’s star of the night was freshman Kyle Washington, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds while effectively passing out of the high post and going after Syracuse’s zone down low.

Again, the Achilles heel for the Pack was its free throw shooting. The team went 7-14 from the line. But the team at least made them when they counted. Ralston Turner hit three key free throws to give N.C. State a 55-54 game with a minute left. But Syracuse got a big break when TJ Warren was fouled from behind on a breakaway but didn’t get an And1 or a flagrant. Instead it was an inbounds play which Syracuse took advantage of,  forcing Anthony Barber to turn the ball over with 13 seconds left. That turnover led to a fast break resulting in the game-winning lay up by Syracuse’s C.J. Fair.

Stats of the Game:

55 – Total points scored by the Pack. Had they won, it would have been the lowest-winning score by the Pack all season.

30% – N.C. State’s free throw percentage in the first half of the game. The Pack finished at 50 percent for the game, almost 20 percent below its season average.

19 – Number of free throws the Orange shot in the second half. That was five more that N.C. State shot in the entire game.

31,572 – Tonight’s crowd, the third-largest in the Carrier Dome this season.

Quotes of the game:

“I thought he was [pushed]. That one should have been counted. That was a made basket that should have put us ahead three with T.J. on the line to go up four”

-Coach Gottfried on the foul on the floor with 14 seconds left in the game.

“”He was terrific. For a young freshman to play like he did . . . he scored facing the basket, back to the basket, gets 10 rebounds. I thought he was terrific today.”

– Coach Gottfried on Washington’s play.

“If we play like we did, with the same intensity and same focus, who would we lose to on the rest of the schedule?”

Kyle Washington on his team’s effort.

“I think it shows that our team has grown a little bit from early on. But, that being said, we still have a ways to go. The good thing about it though, is there are a lot of positives that can be taken.”

– Ralston Turner on team growth