Syracuse got back to .500 in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Tuesday night with an 81-76 win over Wake Forest (12-8, 3-5 ACC) in the Carrier Dome. The Orange (12-9, 4-4) ended its two-game losing skid with the victory thanks to key performances from Andrew White and Taurean Thompson. SU also picked up its first close win in conference play, which was much needed.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Relying on White

White carried the Orange’s offense with 27 points on 6-of-15 shooting. In the first half, he hit four 3s and was the only SU player in double figures at the break. While he often found opportunities on the perimeter to hit the deep ball, he also forced a couple of shots after picking up his dribble and not having any other options with the ball. White grabbed five rebounds, once flying across the lane to corral a missed 2-pointer.

White is the Orange’s leading scorer and he lived up to the billing on Tuesday night. But Syracuse’s reliance on him reflected an issue that has plagued SU all year. No one else on the Orange stepped up in a big way and offensive production fell on White’s shoulders.

With 13 minutes left, White caught a pass at the top of the key from Tyler Lydon and drove inside. He drew a foul and hit both free throws. He hit another two free throws with just under seven minutes left to tie the game at 59. He came through in the clutch again with a monster 3-pointer to put Syracuse up, 71-68 with just 75 seconds left.

The Orange never trailed from that point on.

John Collins proved his worth

The Wake Forest power forward was named the ACC’s player of the week after the Demon Deacons beat Miami and North Carolina State. Collins averaged 24 points and eight rebounds in those two games.

He repeatedly beat Syracuse with offensive rebounds and putbacks at the rim. Collins finished with a stat line of 23 points 12 rebounds.

But in the second half, the Orange limited Collins from getting easy looks inside. Thompson and Tyler Lydon split second-half minutes at center, limiting the Demon Deacons’ paint touches, a point that Wake Forest head coach Danny Manning emphasized before the game.

With over three minutes left, though, Collins scored four straight points to pull the Demon Deacons within two of the Orange, 67-65.

Thompson gives Syracuse a spark

The freshman forward scored seven points in the first four minutes of the second half. He converted on two alley-oop layups and also hit a mid-range jumper. But when John Gillon tried to toss up another alley-oop, the ball flew too high and hit off the backboard.

Thompson has been productive on offense all season and he showed a glimpse of what he’s capable of in the beginning of the half. But with SU trailing by three and 15 minutes left, he forced up a contested jumper at the end of the shot clock. When he subbed out for Tyler Roberson a possession later, SU head coach Jim Boeheim spoke with him on the sideline.

Late in the second half, Thompson shined again. He rejected a shot at the end of the shot clock forcing a turnover from Wake Forest to keep Syracuse down by three. Minutes later, he clogged a passing lane and gave the Orange possession. On the opposite end of the court, he converted an and-1 to put SU up 67-61 with just over four minutes left.

With three minutes left, Thompson missed two free throws. Mitchell Wilbekin hit a 3-pointer on the other end, giving Wake Forest a pivotal one-point lead. Thompson grabbed a huge rebound with under 10 seconds left and sunk two free throws to ice the game.

Published on January 24, 2017 at 10:20 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds