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Throughout the season, Syracuse has faced repeated player injuries and absences. Ahead of its game against Georgia Tech, it learned it would be without Chance Westry and Donnie Freeman.

In its last game, SU’s leading scorer, J.J. Starling, returned from a hand injury and now, with Freeman’s absence, it lost another top scorer. Though, the situation set the table for other players to step up.

Lucas Taylor was one of SU’s leading scorers early with eight points in the first half. Then, Eddie Lampkin scored all 10 of his points in the second half to register his fourth double-double of the season. The combination of different contributors led SU to its first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (7-8, 1-3 ACC) 62-55 win over Georgia Tech (8-8, 2-3 ACC):

Offensive miscues early

Syracuse’s lapses on offense prevented it from opening up a large lead early on. While Georgia Tech started the contest shooting 0-of-5, SU only built a 5-0 lead. When the Yellow Jackets climbed back to cut their deficit to 9-6, the Orange started to fall apart.

SU turned the ball over on three straight possessions. The third was when Starling was caught with his heels on the corner sideline. After Yellow Jackets’ Jaeden Mustaf cut the score to 9-8 with a layup, Syracuse then gave the ball back on an illegal screen.

Chris Bell helped the Orange out of their offensive struggles with a quick five points, but SU continued to be sloppy with the basketball. Lampkin took a 3 from the corner, just his third attempt of the season, and his shot clanked off the rim. A few possessions later, with SU leading 16-11, Starling looked to Lampkin, but his pass went out of bounds.

Different look offense

SU took a 25-24 lead into halftime but wasn’t scoring through its usual outlets. With Freeman out with a lower-body injury, others had to step up. And they did.

Starling, in his second game back from injury, set the tone with a layup early. Then, Jyáre Davis, who was back in the starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 21, registered SU’s first assist on a pass to Taylor for 3, giving SU a 5-0 lead.

For the first time this season, Jaquan Carlos came off the bench for SU, and he only tallied one assist in the first half. Georgia Tech closed SU’s lead due to the Orange’s 10 first-half turnovers, but Bell scored seven first-half points to get it back out to a 16-11 lead.

Meanwhile, Davis continued to dish the ball. With SU leading 18-17, Davis found Taylor on the right side of the arc, and he sank his second triple of the game. Taylor ended the half with eight points, and so did Starling, who used his speed to score at will while dominating off the drive.

SU’s block party

One reason Syracuse held a lead for the entire first half and carried it into the second half was its paint protection. The combination of Davis and Lampkin in SU’s starting lineup gave it significant height in its frontcourt.

Though, it wasn’t one of the Orange’s bigs who recorded their first rejection. Starling, standing at 6-foot-4, got a hand on a Javian McCollum shot early in the first half. Soon after, freshman Petar Majstorovic went on a tear, denying Naithan George and Baye Ndongo in a matter of minutes.

The Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer, Lance Terry, got to the paint around the eight-minute mark of the first half, but Lampkin made sure he couldn’t score with his first denial. SU’s four first-half blocks led Georgia Tech to shoot just 29% in the first 20 minutes.

Early in the second half, Davis and Lampkin started to take over. After four straight points by Davis, the Yellow Jackets looked to answer. Mustaf sprinted the court on a fast break, but Lampkin hustled back for a chase-down block. SU scored two more points as part of a 6-0 run, propelling it into a 35-30 lead.

Lampkin 2nd half emergence

Syracuse’s starting center was held scoreless in the first half. Though he wasn’t scoring the ball, he put in work in the paint, tallying a block and five rebounds.

Out of halftime, it didn’t take long for him to convert his first shot. Just two minutes into the frame, Davis found Lampkin for a layup to put SU ahead 29-26. But after that, Lampkin went cold again, totaling three turnovers over the next eight minutes.

Instead of abandoning Lampkin, SU head coach Adrian Autry stuck with him, leaving him to figure out his issues on the court. Lampkin also wasn’t in foul trouble and was called for his first foul at the 11:28 mark of the second half.

A minute later, Lampkin got going on offense. He hit a jumper to break a 38-38 tie at the 10-minute mark. Then, Lampkin followed it with two straight layups, which included an and-one conversion. With under eight minutes remaining, Lampkin collected his 10th rebound and returned to the charity stripe, where he converted to register his fourth double-double of the season.

Published on January 7, 2025 at 9:26 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32