Orange stun No. 7 UNC behind Mintz’s 25 points
Feb 13, 2024, 09:55 PM ET SYRACUSE, N.Y.– Judah Mintz scored 25 points, including 16 in the second half, and JJ Starling had 13 of his 23 points in the second half as Syracuse stunned No. 7 North Carolina 86-79 on Tuesday night.The raucous home crowd hurried the court to celebrate the program’s very first win over a Top 10 team considering that a 95-91 overtime win over Duke in 2019. Syracuse got in Tuesday’s game having actually lost 16 straight vs. AP Top 10 teams, with a typical margin of defeat of simply under 16 points, according to ESPN Statistics & Details research.The Orange shot 63%
from the field and 47% from 3. The loss was North Carolina’s 3rd in five games.
“This game, certainly, was the very best game we have actually played all year,” said Syracuse first-year coach Adrian Autry. “Judah and JJ really stepped up huge, but everyone who stepped on the court contributed to the victory.”
North Carolina (19-6, 11-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) missed its very first 10 shots of the 2nd half and fell back 52-43 however rallied and took a 65-64 lead on a layup by RJ Davis with 7:16 to go. But the Orange (16-9, 7-7), which suffered a 103-67 loss at Chapel Hill last month, was not to be denied.Editor’s Picks
“We revealed that we got heart,” Mintz stated. “I believe we’ve been revealing that all year.”
“We wouldn’t have actually won if we didn’t believe we might win it,” he included. “We’re a confident group no matter how the chances are stacked against us. It’s great to get the win for the program.”
Starling hit a desperation 3-point bank shot to recover the Orange lead at 67-65 with under seven minutes to go. Mintz struck a layup, jumper and two foul shots to give the Orange a 73-67 margin, and Starling struck another 3 to offer Syracuse a 76-69 lead following a Harrison Ingram jumper with under 3 to go.
“This is big-time for sure,” said Starling, who hails from neighboring Baldwinsville. “We needed it. … One game versus them showed that it wasn’t us. This revealed what we can.”
Maliq Brown had 14 points and six rebounds for Syracuse in Tuesday’s game, while Chris Bell chipped in with 13.
Davis led North Carolina with 19 points. Cormac Ryan had 18, and Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram had 14 each.
“We didn’t play well enough to win, we have actually just got to improve. They shot 63% from field. Really few groups in the nation you can beat especially on the road when they shoot that well,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. “You have to compliment Syracuse. They stepped up and made huge plays and big shots.
“At the end of the day you simply need to step up and make plays, we just didn’t, we didn’t make enough. We’ll go back and look at the tape and work hard, get better and progress to the next game.”
The Associated Press added to this story.