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Fresh off a nine-day break after closing its nonconference slate with a win over Niagara, Syracuse closed out 2023 by resuming Atlantic Coast Conference play, defeating rival Pittsburgh 81-73 in its home conference opener.

Both teams played a physical and aggressive game, throwing each other out of rhythm at times. Pitt, which entered averaging 9.7 turnovers per game, had 15 Saturday. After a rough end to the first half, SU quickly bounced back with a 16-2 run to start the second, forcing Pittsburgh turnovers and rushed 3-pointers.

The bench — spearheaded by Benny Williams, Quadir Copeland and Maliq Brown — once again showed up for Syracuse and finished with a season-high 52 points. Scoring the final 20 points, the bench sealed the victory late for the Orange.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (10-3, 1-1 ACC) first conference win of 2023-24 over Pittsburgh (9-4, 0-2 ACC):

The bench down the stretch

With 5:30 remaining, Zack Austin made a crucial 3-point basket, cutting Syracuse’s lead to 2. Then, out of the timeout, Ishmael Leggett tied it up with exactly five minutes remaining in his 100th career game for Pitt.

On the next Syracuse possession, Copeland, positioned on the left wing, found Brown on the backdoor for an easy slam. Then, Copeland stole the ball on the next Pitt possession, scoring a spinning layup on the other end. Williams, who notched a season-high 15 points, made a fadeaway jumper before hitting a pair of free throws as SU’s lead jumped to 69-61, forcing a Pitt timeout with 3:11 remaining.

The Orange were in foul trouble as Brown and Judah Mintz both had four. But following two free throws by Blake Hinson, Mintz found Williams for an alley-oop just before Copeland recorded a new career-high with a pair of free throws. Copeland finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Brown tied his season-high with 15 points — which he set in his last outing versus Niagara — by breaking the press on a fast break with a minute left.

Though, the Panthers didn’t go away. After Guillermo Diaz Graham stole the ball on SU’s press break, the ball found Jaland Lowe, who drained the right-wing triple and cut the deficit to 78-72 with 34 seconds remaining. Out of a Syracuse timeout, Copeland turned the ball over again, but Austin missed the 3-ball and Copeland made two more free throws as SU pulled away late for the win.

Second-half spark

How the second half started was a complete switch from how the first half ended. Syracuse, trailing by 11 after Diaz Graham drained a 3, quickly stormed back to take the lead behind strong defense and high-percentage makes down low.

As the ball moved around to the left wing, Brown posted up on Diaz Graham, finding himself in a strong position to receive a pass down low from Chris Bell and score down low. On another play, Brown corralled an offensive board off his own miss, making the bucket on his second attempt while drawing a foul.

Pitt turned the ball over multiple times in the process, too, which helped Syracuse get back into the game. Brown hustled back and poked the ball loose. J.J. Starling recovered it and found a wide-open Williams on the other end for a slam. Then, Brown stole the ball again, which resulted in Mintz getting to the line and scoring a go-ahead free throw as SU led 44-43, its first lead since the 6:21 mark in the first half.

Rebound battle

Pittsburgh, which entered as the conference’s leading rebounding team with 42.4 per game, dominated the glass versus Syracuse in the first half, but the Orange led in rebounds 40-39 by the end of the game. Though, the Panthers did control the offensive glass with a 14-9 advantage.

By crashing the offensive glass, Pitt was able to extend possessions and make second-chance buckets. Early in the first half, the Panthers recorded three consecutive offensive rebounds within six seconds. Naheem McLeod notched back-to-back blocks in the sequence, but Pittsburgh managed to get the ball back as Carlton Carrington drew a foul on Starling and made a free throw.

With four and a half remaining in the first half, Starling hoisted a low-percentage, deep 3-pointer resulting in an easy rebound for the Panthers’ Federiko Federiko. On the ensuing offensive possession, Lowe drove down the right side of the lane. Brown went for the block on Lowe’s attempt, which left Federiko open for the easy rebound and put back. It was the first field goal of a 14-4 run that gave Pitt an eight-point halftime lead.

Pitt got some offensive boards in the second half, too. After Syracuse came back, Diaz Graham secured the offensive board. The ball made its way to Leggett, who drove the lane and drew the and-one for a 3-point play, narrowing SU’s lead to 56-55.

Pitt’s boost into the break

For the first 17 minutes of the first half, neither side developed a lead larger than four as the lead changed five times. Syracuse counteracted its poor 3-point shooting with easy fast break points and buckets inside while Pitt drained five first-half 3s.

But in the final few minutes, Syracuse struggled, allowing Pitt to develop a double-digit lead. Blake Hinson, Pittsburgh’s season-leading scorer, scored an easy dunk after a pick-and-roll play with Lowe. Then, the Panthers’ next bucket came off a Federiko dunk.

The Orange couldn’t get going in the final few minutes of the half. Mintz was on the fast break and as he approached the lane, Hinson drew a charge call, sparking frustration from the Syracuse sideline and a technical foul. Carrington made the freebies before draining a 3 for the game’s first double-digit lead.

Syracuse missed four field goals in the final 2:43 and had two turnovers while Williams made the final basket of the half to reduce Pittsburgh’s lead to eight.

Published on December 30, 2023 at 2:45 pm

Contact Cole: [email protected] | @ColeBambini