Syracuse men’s basketball battles No. 3 Houston to the brink in 78-74 OT loss

Syracuse men’s basketball (4-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) entered the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas hungry to prove itself against some of the top teams in the nation. No. 3 Houston (6-0, 0-0 Big 12 Conference) was the first test SU faced, and the battle went down to the wire. The Orange narrowly missed on the biggest win of the Adrian Autry era in a 78-74 overtime defeat against the Cougars.

One of the biggest storylines entering the game for Syracuse surrounded forward Donnie Freeman, who was ruled out of the Players Era Festival just hours before the game due to a lower body injury. However, in his absence, SU sophomore Tyler Betsey stepped up big time. The forward led the Orange with 16 points, 10 of which came within the first 10 minutes of the game.

“It was good for Tyler, he’s been playing well for us.” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said. “We just encourage him to keep being aggressive.”

One area where the Orange as a team were aggressive was from behind the arc, although that may have been for better or for worse. SU attempted a season-high 31 three-pointers against a top-notch Houston defense, but converted on just 26% of them. On the flip side, the Cougars connected on 40% of their triples, including a combined seven from guards Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan. The seniors each had 26 points as well.

As close as the game was, one area that was clearly lopsided was from the charity stripe. Free throw woes once again plagued SU, with the Orange shooting a paltry 12-29 from the line. Guard Nate Kingz, who finished with 10 points, was the lone player for Syracuse who finished above 50% from the line, making his only free throw attempt of the game.

SU’s flaws may have come to the surface against Houston, but its fight also did. With under three minutes left, the Cougars led by 11 before the Orange mounted a furious comeback capped by a game-tying Tyler Betsey three to send the game into overtime. Houston escaped with an 11-7 advantage in extra time, but Syracuse made a statement with its “Level Five” energy throughout.

N. Scott Trimble - Syracuse.com

“Before the game, we knew (Houston) was going to fight and we were going to fight as well.” SU center William Kyle said. “Just keeping our composure and just continuing to fight throughout.”

“We came up short, no moral victories here. But we just have to continue to work hard, stay together, and keep pushing through.” Coach Autry said.

Syracuse still has a couple more opportunities to get a win in Vegas. SU battles Kansas tomorrow afternoon, and then a third opponent to be announced on Wednesday or Thursday. Gametime between the Orange and the Jayhawks is set for 3:30, WAER’s coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 3.