LISTEN: @Cuse_MBB outlasted @GeorgetownHoops 80-68 in the 99th edition of the rivalry. @JoePuccio_ and @bespector had the call from the nation’s capital. pic.twitter.com/DBjZ8RWDHH
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) December 9, 2023
In the 99th meeting between Syracuse men’s basketball (7-3, 0-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference) and Big East rival Georgetown (5-4, 0-0 in Big East Conference), the Orange came out on top 80-68.
The Orange’s guards came to play against rival Hoyas. Sophomore Judah Mintz had 25 points and went 13-15 from the free-throw line. Sophomore JJ Starling had a season-high 21 and Sophomore Quadir Copeland had 14 off the bench.
“I mean you know the rivalry goes back past when I was born,” said Mintz after the game. “To be able to play a rival team like Georgetown, in their home city and come away with the win. It was special for our team and it was special for the ‘Cuse fans and all the alums that came before us.”
Mintz tallied his seventh 20-point game of the season. The sophomore is now second in the ACC in total points.
Mintz was not the only SU guard to have an impact night. Sophomore JJ Starling tallied 21 points including a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc.
“I think he was big,” said SU head coach Adrian Autry after the game. “Especially when Judah went out, he made some big shots and even when Judah was in he just stepped up big for us, he controlled the game.”
Three minutes into the second half, the Hoyas were up one. Then, a Starling three-pointer propelled a 12-3 run over the next two and a half minutes, giving the Orange a lead they would never give up.
In the first half, center Naheem McLeod irritated his foot and would not return. That meant Mounir Hima got some playing time. Hima tallied 4 points, 3 rebounds and a block in just 9 minutes.
“Some of our games have been tough for him to get into the game but this game was a tailor-made game for him,” Autry said. “Mounir is all about the team. He is always ready when you call him and today was the day he stepped up.”
The Orange’s victory in the 99th edition of the old Big East rivalry, sees Syracuse's all-time record against Georgetown improving to 54-45.
SU has the week off before they return to the hardwood to take on Oregon (6-2, 0-0 Pac-12 Conference). That game is held at a neutral site in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Sunday, December 17th at 1 p.m. WAER’s Coverage starts at 12:30 with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.