Once again, Syracuse wilted in the second half, this time losing a ten-point halftime lead to longtime rival Georgetown, dropping a 79-75 decision in Washington, D.C. The Orange (5-5) took a 44-34 lead into halftime and fought back from a six-point deficit midway through the second half before allowing the Hoyas (5-4) to score seven of the game’s final nine points to steal the win.
After turning in a very effective first half, SU allowed Georgetown to shoot 56 percent after halftime. The Hoyas hit a solid 5-of-13 from long range, but really punished Syracuse inside, making 75 percent of their shots inside the arc. The Orange offense dried up at the same time, as they shot just over 36 percent from the field and a meager 3-for-14 on three-pointers.
The hosts grabbed a pair of four-point leads in the first seven minutes, but SU charged back with nine straight points bookended by treys from Joe Girard III and Buddy Boeheim, the latter staking them to a 21-16 lead. Georgetown knotted the score, but Syracuse scored six of seven points for their biggest edge to that point.
The Orange later posted six straight points, then closed the half with five more for a 44-34 lead at intermission. Girard scored seven of the 11 points in those bursts.
The Hoyas needed just over six minutes of second half play to erase the gap, knotting the score at 51 a side, then tacked on a four-point play for their first lead of the second half at 55-53. SU tied the game twice, but Georgetown ran up a half dozen unanswered points for their largest margin with just over eight minutes to play.
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Syracuse answered, taking the narrowest of edges three times, but could not get a late stop. The Hoyas closed out the game with a three-pointer and two sets of foul shots in the bonus during the final 75 seconds to pull out the contest.
Buddy Boeheim got his offense going late, scoring 11 of his 17 points in the second half to pace SU. Joe Girard III handed out a game-high seven assists to go with 13 points and three steals. Jesse Edwards and Cole Swider added a dozen points each while Jimmy Boeheim chipped in with ten.
Aminu Mohammed led all players with 23 points and 13 rebounds for Georgetown. Donald Carey hit four triples en route to 18 points to go with seven boards and six assists while Kaiden Rice bombed in five treys for his 15 markers. Collin Holloway added ten points to the hosts’ attack.
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