Behind a team-best 22 points from sophomore guard Dion Waiters, the No. 1-ranked Syracuse University men's basketball program defeated North Carolina State University, 88-72, in a non-conference game at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC. Senior forward Kris Joseph added 21 points, while senior point guard Scoop Jardine netted 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help the Orange (11-0) earn their first true road victory of the season and remain unbeaten.
Senior guard C.J. Williams netted a game-best 25 points for the Wolfpack (6-4), who trailed 47-33 at halftime, but used a 19-5 run, which included six points from Williams, to tie the game at 52 just 5:56 into the second half.
Syracuse led 61-58 with 10:23 to go, and increased its margin to 11 points with a 13-3 run that featured eight points from senior point guard Scoop Jardine, who nailed three of SU's next four jumpers, two from behind the 3-point arc, to help the Orange take a 74-63 lead with 6:43 remaining.
After a 3-pointer by the Wolfpack, Syracuse netted six straight points to gain a 80-66 advantage with 3:57 to go. From there, SU cruised to its first-true road victory of the season.
In the first half, N.C. State jumped out to a 23-15 just 7:35 into the contest. However, SU used a 23-0 run, which featured 10 points from Waiters, to help take a 14-point lead into halftime.
“The single best thing was that when they made that comeback, the players kept their poise,” Boeheim said after the game. “They just kept getting good shots.”
Junior forward James Southerland and sophomore forward C.J. Fair each netted 11 points for SU, which forced 18 turnovers from the Wolfpack. Syracuse made 11-of-25 3-point shots, as Waiters, Joseph and Southerland each made three.
Sophomore guard Lorenzo Brown tallied 10 points and dished out a game-best 13 assists for N.C. State, while sophomore forward C.J. Leslie scored 13 points.
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