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Prior to Quadir Copeland’s game-winning 3 and the ensuing delirium, Syracuse and Miami consistently traded crucial baskets until the final buzzer.

The Hurricanes led through most of Saturday’s matchup at the JMA Wireless Dome, but SU never trailed by more than eight points. In the second half, it worked steadily to narrow a consistent five-point gap before Copeland’s heroics cemented a memorable afternoon.

“We knew it was going to be an exciting game, we just talked about not letting the runs get too big…” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said. “I’m just happy for our guys. I thought they battled. I thought they stayed with it.”

Every time the visitors manufactured an advantage, Syracuse answered. When Miami’s Nijel Pack caught fire from 3 late, J.J. Starling and Chris Bell countered with a couple of their own.

Timely outside jumpshooting and a furious back-and-forth down the stretch resulted in the Orange capturing their second straight conference win.

Here’s a breakdown of the final possessions which propelled Syracuse to a 72-69 victory over Miami:

4:00 — Chris Bell hits right-corner 3, ties game at 62-62

On the prior play, Miami forward Matthew Cleveland dropped Chris Bell on a rightward drive. Starling left backup guard Bensley Joseph to help. It seemed Bell had attempted to draw an offensive foul on Cleveland but the referee’s whistles remained silent. Wide open, Joseph canned a 3 to give the Hurricanes a 62-59 lead.

But Bell’s defensive lapse did not affect his confidence. Tucked away in the right corner of a 4-out offensive front, he immediately entered a shooting stance as Syracuse point guard Judah Mintz brought possession into the frontcourt.

Coming off of a Maliq Brown screen, Mintz spotted Bell’s defender, Wooga Poplar, a few paces away from the perimeter. Noticing Brown wasn’t available off the roll, Mintz swung to Bell, who didn’t hesitate to launch his fourth 3. His bucket knotted affairs at 62-62 and Bell finished with 12 points at a 4-for-13 clip.

3:24 — Maliq Brown cleans up Judah Mintz miss, gives Syracuse 64-62 advantage

After trailing 6-0, the Orange obtained their first lead Saturday by way of a Mintz jumper with 9:46 remaining in the first half. Moments later, Starling put SU up 21-20 off of a left-wing 3. However, following a Pack make from deep, Miami remained ahead for the next 24 minutes of game time. That was until an emphatic Brown putback.

At the 3:24 mark in the second half, Mintz crossed halfcourt and denied a Brown screen to lose Poplar on a right-to-left crossover. Driving downhill, he cupped the ball over a reaching Cleveland, and burrowed deep into the paint while simultaneously losing his dribble.

Falling down and attempting to kiss a floater over the outstretched hands of 6-foot-10 Miami center Michael Nwoko, Mintz’s effort was slightly heavy. The ball careened off of the backboard but Brown had quietly snuck behind Poplar to crash the offensive glass. With Nwoko in the air, no one challenged the larger Brown and his two-handed flush.

2:42 — Judah Mintz find Quadir Copeland for point-blank layup, puts Syracuse up 66-64

Like many of its half-court trips, Mintz peeled off of a Brown screen to spark offensive flow. Cleveland, now Mintz’s immediate defender, was slow to fight over and forced Miami into a delayed hedge which pitted Nwoko opposite the SU guard.

Spotting a mismatch, Mintz drove hard and Poplar stepped in to help near the left elbow. The intervention gave Copeland a clear back-cut to the basket. But Mintz was intent on hunting for his own shot.

By the time Mintz pulled up to shoot just inside the free throw line, Cleveland recovered to contest. Poplar didn’t jump but his presence crowded the paint and cut off Mintz’s vision for a kick-out to weak-side teammates Starling and Bell. Copeland, meanwhile, remained open underneath Miami’s hoop.

Seemingly stranded, Mintz looked due for a forced mid-range heave before spotting Copeland at the last second. Barely airborne, he dished a bullet pass down low for Copeland to convert on a routine lay-in.

1:55 — J.J. Starling cans sixth 3, provides Syracuse with 69-66 cushion

A nifty hesitation and righty drive from Miami’s true freshman Kyshawn George got the best of Bell for a second straight possession. Gliding forward to flip in a layup, George tied the game at 66-66 to cancel out Copeland’s go-ahead bucket.

Positioned a few steps behind the left wing arc, Brown dished to Mintz and set an on-ball screen. But instead of making contact with Cleveland’s side, Brown slipped inside to lose Nwoko and find space in the paint. Mintz quickly picked out Brown on a lob feed.

Although the pass was overthrown slightly, Brown leapt to reel it in with his right hand. Miami’s defense sent a double-team in response. George left Bell in the left corner to help while Pack came over from the right, which left Starling open.

Landing and delivering in one fluid motion, Brown quickly relayed to Starling. Poplar shifted down from the right wing to aid Pack but was too late. Starling splashed home his game-high sixth 3.

0:02 — Quadir Copeland calls game, 72-69.

A confident George had completed a personal 7-0 run by banking in a 25-foot 3 from straight-on, but SU was given the last shot at 69-69 with 18 seconds left. Autry called timeout.

Postgame, Autry joked that Syracuse’s final play went to plan. It was exactly how he drew it up. Autry later revealed a clear-out was called and Mintz was tasked with making a play.

Holding possession near midcourt, Mintz waited until five seconds remained to make a play. He executed a looping drive right where Nwoko and Cleveland presented a soft double — enough for Mintz to pick up his dribble. This left Brown open but Joseph quickly closed the SU big man down. Copeland stood alone on the weak-side.

“Just knowing Quadir’s man came to help on (Maliq). He was open for a second and Quadir’s man had to come over and take him away,” Mintz said about the final possession. “That left Quadir open.”

Glancing up, Mintz located Copeland and flung a cross-court overhead feed. Copeland barely had any time allotted before letting one go. Then, chaos erupted.

Published on January 21, 2024 at 6:52 pm

Contact Tyler: [email protected] | @theTylerSchiff