Syracuse outpaces Seminoles in an offensive dual at the Dome

Syracuse Orange (12-5, 3-1 ACC) took down the Florida State Seminoles (7-10, 0-4 ACC) in the 20th all-time meeting by a final score of 94-86 at the JMA Wireless Dome.  

It was a season-best in points for Syracuse, surpassing their previous mark of 91 against a non-conference opponent, Northeastern.  

The Orange were led by sophomore forward Donnie Freeman, who had 25 points on 9 of 12 shooting. 

This marked Freeman’s fourth consecutive contest with 20 or more points, as the Orange are 3-0 in ACC play this season when he records 20 or more points. 

He scored 18 against Clemson, where the Orange fell 64-61, the team’s only conference loss of the season.   

“From watching them when he’s out to watching them when he’s in and now playing against them there two completely different teams,” FSU head coach Luke Loucks said. 

Even with Freeman’s big night, the main attraction for Syracuse was sophomore forward Tyler Betsey, who had himself a career night from beyond the arc, going 6-8 and finishing the game with 18 points, both being career highs.   

Betsey’s six 3-pointers made the most by a Syracuse player in a single game this season. 

“My first two three’s, the second one especially felt really good off my fingers,” Betsey said. “Once I hit that second one, I knew I was going to have a good game after that.”

Senior forward William Kyle III quietly also had himself a history-making night with 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting, which led him to surpass 1,000 collegiate points.  

“It’s such a blessing and no better place to do it than at home at Syracuse,” Kyle III said.  

The Seminoles matched the Orange offensively throughout the game, led by Kobe Maggee’s 20 points and Martin Somerville’s 18.  

FSU went 50% from beyond the arc during the first half, shot 7-14 from downtown, with four or more players hitting threes. 

Betsey was a one-man show for the Orange during the first half, going 4-6 from deep and jabbing for jab with Florida State.  

“Once a shooter of that caliber sees the ball go in a few times, it’s like the hoop is an ocean wide,” Loucks said. 

FSU led 36-30 late in the first half, but Kyle III and senior guard J.J. Starling joined Betsey in scoring the basketball with the Orange catching fire, scoring 10 unanswered points. 

At the end of the first half, the Orange led by three, 43-40, marking the third consecutive contest in which the Orange has scored 40 or more points in the first half. 

The Orange continued to stay hot with their most significant lead of the night, up 50-40, after a 7-0 to start the second half, but shortly after, FSU flipped the script, going on a 15-7 run of their own, getting back within two, cutting the Orange lead to 57-55 just about five minutes into the half.   

Both teams started trading punches, with the Seminoles taking a 69-68 lead with under 10 minutes remaining in the game. 

“I thought we did a nice job of when we got the rebounds, got out in transition, I thought are guys did a nice job of getting to the corners,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said.  

It was Syracuse’s second-half shooting that won them the game, as the team scored 51 points on 19-28 from the field.  

The Orange made a season-best 11 3-pointers while shooting 37-62 from the field, their best field goal percentage this season.  

Syracuse is back in action this Saturday on the road against Boston College, looking to keep their three-game conference winning streak alive.