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Syracuse men’s basketball season ends with ACC Tournament loss to SMU (full coverage)

Syracuse men’s basketball saw its season come to an end with an 86-69 loss to SMU in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. The No. 14 seed Orange finished the year 15-17 overall and 6-12 in ACC play.

Nate Kingz led Syracuse with 25 points, tying for the game-high, while Tyler Betsey added 15. Donnie Freeman contributed nine points before fouling out late in the second half. The Mustangs were led by Boopie Miller with 25 points and Jaron Pierre Jr., who scored 21.

Syracuse stayed competitive early and used a 9-2 run midway through the first half to take a 19-16 lead. Kingz and Betsey combined for 26 first-half points as the Orange connected on six 3-pointers and cut the deficit to 39-38 at halftime.

SMU took control after the break, opening the second half with a 12-4 run to build a 51-42 advantage. The Mustangs extended the lead behind strong perimeter shooting, with Pierre hitting several 3-pointers during a decisive 12-0 run that pushed the margin to 69-50 with just over eight minutes remaining.

Syracuse attempted a late rally. A 9-0 run highlighted by two Betsey 3-pointers and an alley-oop to Sadiq White Jr. trimmed the deficit to 74-63 with 4:35 left. However, SMU answered with timely shooting down the stretch to maintain a double-digit lead.

The Mustangs finished with a 44-31 advantage on the boards and outscored Syracuse from 3-point range 33-27.

The loss marks the second straight losing season for Syracuse and extends the program’s NCAA Tournament drought to five consecutive years.

Box Score

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

ADRIAN AUTRY’S POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

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