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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Down two with 16 seconds left in regulation, Wake Forest quickly drove down the court and found Isaiah Mucius open in the corner. He had already made four 3s, but before he could turn and rise for a potential game-winning shot, the whistle blew. Mucius had stepped out of bounds, giving Syracuse the ball.

The Orange inbounded to Buddy Boeheim, and the Demon Deacons, trailing 69-67, quickly fouled. On the second inbound attempt, Buddy received the pass but couldn’t gather it before the ball trickled out of bounds, giving Wake Forest possession and a chance to tie the game.

“You got to get the ball in bounds with 11 seconds to go,” head coach Jim Boeheim said. “If you can’t do that it’s a problem.”

After a timeout, Wake threw the ball deep into its own backcourt to Alondes Williams. But quickly, a pass cut right through the paint to an open Dallas Walton, who tied the game with a dunk, forcing overtime.

Syracuse (7-8, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) then proceeded to struggle in overtime, making just one field goal, and fell to Wake Forest (13-3, 3-2 ACC) 77-74 after Buddy and Cole Swider both missed 3-point attempts in the final seconds that could’ve tied the game. Syracuse had a lead at various points in the second half, but recorded a season-high 20 fouls in regulation that allowed the Demon Deacons to claw their way back into the game. The loss ensured SU now has a record under .500 this late in the season for the first time since 1968-69 — eight years before Boeheim became head coach.

The two teams went back-and-forth in the first half before Wake Forest went on a 10-2 run to take a two-point lead into the break. And at the start of the second half, the two teams traded runs, with SU leading by as much as eight, but fouls began to rack up for Syracuse, particularly for Jesse Edwards, who fouled out midway through the half.

“It hurt losing Jesse early like that,” Boeheim said. “Couple of fouls he just can’t commit.”

Edwards picked up one foul after a misplaced inbounds pass from Joe Girard III on an attempted alley-oop. He later got another foul trying to help Swider with a double team. Then, with nine minutes left in regulation, Williams surveyed his options at the top of the arc. Girard quickly saw his opportunity and stole the ball away. He ran up the court and then turned back toward the 3-point line. But when Girard tried to pass to a teammate, Williams got in his way, forcing the turnover.

As Williams sprinted down the court, Edwards positioned himself under the basket. When the Wake guard leapt into the air, Edwards’ arm came down on Williams, making it the eighth time the SU center has fouled out this season.

“It was game-changing for us. It’s something obviously I played a big part in. I got too many, too quick,” Edwards said. “It’s something that I can’t be doing anymore, and it obviously hurt us.”

After the game, Edwards said his inexperience led to him jumping to contest Williams’ layup. It’s a play he admitted he probably should’ve let go, but, “in the moment, my instinct is to go contest,” he said.

But Edwards wasn’t the only player racking up fouls. Swider recorded four, and Buddy and Benny Williams had three each. As the second half wore on, no matter what Syracuse did on offense, Wake Forest picked up points off a number of SU fouls, allowing it to be in close enough range to tie the game with Walton’s dunk.

Cole Swider finished with four fouls against Wake Forest. Courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics 

In the overtime period, Syracuse made its first shot on a Swider jumper but missed its following seven field goal attempts. Swider had a layup blocked and pinned against the glass, and Benny air-balled a 3. The Orange would also be called for a shot clock violation after Jimmy and Swider air-balled two shots following a timeout.

“We just didn’t score. We got some shots. Benny got a wide-open shot. We got Joe one. Buddy got in the lane,” Boeheim said. “We just couldn’t finish.”

But the game would soon end with Wake Forest once again taking advantage of fouls. After a missed free throw by Frank Anselem, Williams dribbled down the court, where he was intentionally fouled by Jimmy. Wake’s top scorer drained both shots to make it a three-point game.

During the ensuing timeout, Syracuse had a chance to draw up a play to extend the game into double overtime with a 3, a play Edwards said later was drawn up to go to either Buddy or Girard. Girard brought the ball up the court to the right-wing, where he dumped the ball off to Buddy. With a defender draped all over him, Buddy rose for the 3, but it didn’t even touch the rim. Swider grabbed the rebound and put up a rushed 3, but the shot harmlessly hit the front rim.

“We’re doing enough to win both these games,” Boeheim said. “We just can’t quite get there.”

A three-game losing streak has now dropped Syracuse into unfamiliar territory this late in the season. It was the defense against UVA, turnovers against Miami and on Saturday, foul trouble and poor play down the stretch that has turned winnable games into defeats that may determine Syracuse’s fate come March.

Published on January 8, 2022 at 4:49 pm

Contact Gaurav: gshetty@syr.edu