Defense, discipline and Donnie Freeman lift Syracuse past Pitt

Syracuse basketball has built leads this season. But it has also seen them shrink.

On Wednesday night, the Orange still had their wobble — but they had an answer, too.

Behind a blistering first half from three-point range, a defensive game plan that strangled Pittsburgh’s perimeter shooting and a poised finish at the free-throw line, Syracuse earned an 83–72 road win over Pitt at the Petersen Events Center.

For Syracuse, the win showed two things it has been chasing: consistent offense that travels, and defensive toughness that shows up late.

A first-half barrage from deep

The story started with Syracuse’s perimeter shot-making. The Orange entered the game averaging roughly six made threes per game. They hit eight threes in the first half alone, opening the floor and creating downhill lanes.

Autry said the difference is having more spacing and shooting threats on the court.

“I think the one thing is … since we’ve had Donnie [Freeman] back, he’s a guy that can stretch the floor,” Autry said. “He’s capable of making anywhere from three to five a game.”

Autry pointed to multiple shooters finding rhythm — noting performances like Tyler Betsey’s three-point shooting and J.J. Starling’s improved efficiency — and emphasized that the ball movement was there

“We shared the ball, we moved it,” Autry said. 

Pitt head coach Jeff Capel didn’t dispute. He said Syracuse “really shot the basketball well, especially in the first half,” and admitted the Panthers’ defensive execution wasn’t sharp enough early.

“Our attention to detail was not good,” Capel said. “They were really able to get anywhere they wanted in the first half.”

Defensive focus: take away the three

Syracuse didn’t just shoot it well — it also took away what Pitt does best. The Panthers entered shooting 36% from three, but Syracuse held them to 5-for-26 (19%).

Autry credited discipline and communication.

“We knew they had some really good shooters, and we wanted to make it tough for them,” he said. “We wanted to have a level-five communication of where those guys were at.”

That plan included mixing zone and man looks and forcing Pitt into contested attempts. Autry also said Syracuse’s identity isn’t about hunting highlight stats like blocks.

“We don’t try to get blocks or steals,” he said. “We try to keep people in front of us and make them take tough shots.”

Converting defense into offense

The defensive pressure also helped Syracuse score. The Orange finished with 22 points off turnovers, a number Capel and his players repeatedly returned to postgame.

Capel called the giveaways unacceptable, especially because they fueled Syracuse in transition.

“Our offense has to help our defense,” Capel said. “We can’t have live-ball turnovers, because they are very, very good at transition.”

Pitt’s Brandin Cummings, who led the comeback attempt, agreed the execution wasn’t good enough.

“We can’t be a team that builds our identity on defense and go out there and not execute our defensive game plan,” Cummings said. “We’ve got to get stops.”

Freeman’s return changes Syracuse’s ceiling

Syracuse’s most consistent offensive force was Donnie Freeman. He finished with 22 points, making timely plays even when Pitt narrowed the gap.

Capel gave Freeman major credit..

“Freeman made some big-time plays,” Capel said. “He makes their team very different … with his size, his skill level and his ability to score on all three levels.”

Autry framed Freeman’s surge since returning from injury as a physical and developmental leap.

“I think his physicalness,” Autry said. “He’s stronger. I think that’s allowed him to be a better shooter, be a better driver.”

Starling’s all-around impact

Starling added 19 points, but Autry was more interested in the full stat line: the assists, the defense, and the leadership.

“It’s not just about scoring,” Autry said. “You can’t just base it on how many points he scores … the impact that he has, his leadership … I’m proud of the way he’s leading us.”

Pitt’s push — and Syracuse’s finish

Pitt didn’t fold. Cummings caught fire, scoring 29 off the bench and cutting the Syracuse lead to seven with about two minutes left. Capel said the Panthers even had a moment where an open three could have made it a one-possession game.

“We had it at seven… and would have cut it to four,” Capel said.

Cummings said he liked the look he got late, even though it didn’t fall.

“As a shooter, as a scorer, I felt like I had it going,” he said. “Unfortunately, every shot doesn’t go in… I’ll take that shot again.”

The biggest difference: free throws

Syracuse’s closer wasn’t a dunk or a three. It was the free-throw line.

A team that has struggled there at times this season went 13-for-15 (83%), making Pitt’s comeback math impossible.

Autry acknowledged Syracuse still has “dips” to clean up — turnovers, stagnant stretches, and lapses that allow teams back into games — but he made the fix clear.

“When those things happen… it’s when we stop playing defense,” Autry said. “When we have those dips… we got to focus on defense.”

Syracuse did exactly that late, got stops and finished the job at the line. It was the kind of road win that looks routine in the standings but matters in a locker room.

Capel’s takeaway was blunt: Pitt’s effort level improved as the game went on, but the first 20 minutes decided too much.

“We can’t be a team that’s good at times,” he said. “If we want to be the team we say we want to be, that has to be there all the time.”

Syracuse will happily take the lesson from the other side: when the threes are falling, the game plan is executed, and the free throws go down late, the Orange can win in a tough building — and look a lot closer to the team they believe they are.

The Orange’s next contest is against the Florida State Seminoles at the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m.