Syracuse closed out an unsuccessful trip to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, losing the Legends Classic third-place game to Texas Tech, 79-74. The Orange (3-2) were early in the game, but struggled offensively after halftime, making only seven shots from the field before the final 30 seconds of play. The Red Raiders (5-1) kept SU in the game by repeatedly sending them to the foul line, but an 11-2 run gave them enough breathing room to withstand the barrage of foul shots.
Once again, Syracuse struggled from the perimeter, shooting just 28.6% from 3-point range, and added poor ball security to the mix. The Orange gave the ball away 12 times in the game while only causing three turnovers. As a result, Texas Tech held an 18-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
This sloppy play offset an impressive 39-30 rebounding lead for SU, including grabbing ten offensive rebounds in 31 opportunities for an offensive rebound rate of 32.3 percent.
Syracuse got off to a better start than in Thursday night’s loss to Texas, briefly taking the lead in the opening minutes before the Red Raiders regained the lead. Texas Tech rarely led by more than a single possession in the first ten minutes, while the Orange forced four ties in that span.
The Red Raiders went on a 13-6 run after midway through the half to take their largest lead to that point at 29-22 with just over five minutes left. SU got hurt during this period committing four turnovers before righting its ship.
JJ Starling led that correction, leading a 9-2 burst to close the half. The junior guard had half of his 14 points in the first half, making a few layups to start things off and then capping the streak with a 3-pointer that tied the game at 31 going into the break.
Syracuse struck first after play resumed with two foul shots from Donnie Freeman, but Tech responded with four straight points to take the lead. The Orange forced two ties, but two triples gave the Red Raiders the first of two six-point advantages.
SU cut the lead to two, but Texas Tech took control with a quick run that gave them plenty of breathing room. The Red Raiders needed just over two minutes to give up an 11-2 burst and take a 55-44 lead with just under 11 minutes remaining.
That lead would stretch to a dozen points, but Syracuse chipped away, scoring nine of 13 points in a single period to get within 64-59 with five and a half minutes remaining. The Orange could only tie scores for the next five minutes, never getting closer than five, with Texas Tech putting them away by hitting 8 of 10 from the line in the final minute of play.
Starling led all scorers with 27 points, making 9 of 15 shots in the game. Chris Bell was the only other player to double figures with 22 points, including an immaculate 11-of-11 mark from the free throw streak. Elijah Moore scored eight points while Freeman pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
Darrion Williams led four Red Raiders in double figures with 20 points. JT Toppin added 15 points while blocking three shots. Chance McMillan had 13 markers while Elijah Hawkins had 11.
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