Buddy Boeheim’s 20 points lead Syracuse past Pitt 73-59
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Buddy Boeheim had a career-high 20 points, and Syracuse defeated Pittsburgh 73-59 on Wednesday night in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament despite playing without leading scorer Tyus Battle.
Elijah Hughes and Frank Howard each had 18 points for the Orange, who’ll face No. 5 Duke in a rubber match Friday night in the quarterfinals in a game that could feature the return of Zion Williamson from an injury.
Boeheim, the son of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, got the start for the Orange (20-12) in place of Battle and played an instrumental role in a second half comeback hitting 6 of 13 shots from the field while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Pitt’s Jared Wilson-Frame had 24 points on eight 3-pointers, one shy of the ACC Tournament record held by Randolph Childress of Wake Forest in 1995.
Syracuse trailed 36-30 at halftime after Wilson-Frame connected on 6 of 9 3-pointers.
But with the Orange down five, Boeheim scored on a drive and then knocked down two 3-pointers from the top of the key to give Syracuse the lead. After Hughes and Howard connected on 3s, Boeheim somehow grabbed his own miss amid the trees in the lane, scored and drew a foul for a 3-point play to give the Orange a 52-43 lead.
Pitt’s freshman backcourt of Trey McGowens and Xavier Johnson, who combined for 46 points in a first round win over Boston College, were limited to seven points with their drives nullified by 7-foot-2 Paschal Chukwu’s shot blocking ability in the lane.
BIG PICTURE
Pittsburgh: The Panthers (14-19) won only three games in the regular season but have a solid young nucleus returning next season led by Johnson and McGowens.
Syracuse: The Orange may have solidified a spot in the NCAA Tournament with 20th win of the season in a difficult conference.
UP NEXT:
Pittsburgh: Season over.
Syracuse: Will play Duke for a third time. The teams split during the regular season with both teams winning on the road.
