Judah Mintz's 29 points propelled @Cuse_MBB to an 84-71 win over @HokiesMBB.@EthanGFrank and @Bespector had the call from the Dome. pic.twitter.com/qOutaIbpml
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 28, 2024
Syracuse men’s basketball (19-10, 10-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) honored its upperclassmen before Tuesday’s victory over Virginia Tech (15-13, 7-10 ACC). However, it was the younger members of the roster who led the Orange to the win behind an early hot start.
Sophomore guard Judah Mintz took over for the ‘Cuse, finishing the game with 29 points, 16 of which in the first half. Adrian Autry praised the young guard after the game.
“Judah Mintz is a ‘guy’,” Autry said. “He comes back every game, no matter what the result is. There aren’t too many people like that. When you have a ‘guy,’ that’s a real advantage.”
Tuesday’s performance is Judah Mintz’s second highest point performance on the season, only behind his 33 on November 28th against LSU.
Mintz himself touched on what went right against the Hokies.
“I just took what the defense gave me,” Mintz laughed. “Just being confident in what I work on every day, that’s how I get the result I want.”
The bank was open for Syracuse guard Judah Mintz. The sophomore had a tough make off the backboard while he was fouled.@bespector told the tale of the point guard's and-one.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 28, 2024
🎙️ https://t.co/BG0Q3sGq3P, @waer883 pic.twitter.com/OlYUsMtP4u
SU, riding off the momentum from Saturday’s celebratory win over Notre Dame, came out strong as it has done recently. The Orange shot 61% from the field to jump out to a 45-27 lead at the half, capped off by a tomahawk dunk from sophomore guard Quadir Copeland. Syracuse has led each of its last three games by 15 or more heading into the break.
The Orange have shown cracks in the second half in their past three matchups, and Tuesday night was no different. The ‘Cuse would cool down out of the intermission, as the Hokies would jump out to a 7-0 run to start the half. 10 points in the last 20 by junior guard Sean Pedulla allowed the Hokies to cut the lead to seven with 7:27 to play.
Virginia Tech guard Hunter Cattoor shoots the three ball at a 42.4% clip. The grad student showed off his range with this triple.@bespector had the call of Cattoor's trifecta.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 28, 2024
🎙️https://t.co/BG0Q3sGq3P, @waer883 pic.twitter.com/SJR5OXJ86R
Sophomore guard JJ Starling talked about how his team got back in control.
“We let up a little bit, that’s how we let them go on a run,” Starling said. “After that timeout, we got back focused on our keys and got back up again.”
Syracuse stood tall and never relinquished the lead, backed by a big defensive play from Chris Bell. The sophomore rejected Mylyjael Poteat at the rim with 6 minutes to play to keep the lead at nine. Alongside four steals down the stretch, the ‘Cuse would hold on to take this one by a final score of 84-71.
With the win, SU extends its streak to three in a row. Syracuse finishes its 2023-24 campaign with a 14-2 record in the Dome.
Syracuse now sits at 19-10 on the season and must continue to win to stay in NCAA tournament consideration. SU’s next contest is Saturday on the road at Louisville (8-19, 3-13 ACC). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. with WAER’s coverage beginning at 7:30 with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.