Saturday's third round game between the Syracuse Orange and the Kansas State Wildcats has so far been one of runs. Going into intermission, the Orange hold a tenuous 25-24 lead.
NCAA Tournament Scores: Syracuse Leads By 1 Point At Halftime Over Kansas State
The Wildcats got out to a quick 9-2 lead, finding success in the middle of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone. The Orange promptly went on a 19-2 run after ramping up their defensive press at midcourt. Seven of those points came off turnovers, as Kansas State suddenly began struggling to penetrate into the middle of Cuse’s zone.
Things looked bad for Kansas State when leading-scorer Rodney McGruder left the game with an ankle injury with a third of the half left to play. McGruder was able to return to the game, but struggled to jump off his left ankle after landing on a defender's foot following a jump shot.
The injury seemingly kicked off a 9-0 run, however, pulling the Wildcats to within two points. Though they are shooting just 23.5 percent for the game, Kansas State has dominated on the offensive glass, rebounding 54 percent of their misses with 14 offensive boards so far.
For the game, the Wildcats are outrebounding the Orange 24-14, giving Kansas State 11 more field goal attempts. McGruder leads the team with seven points on 3-of-9 shooting. Jordan Henriquez is on pace for a monster double-double, with six points and 11 rebounds through 20 minutes. Dion Waiters leads the Orange with 11 points. Kris Joseph is second on the team with eight. No other teammate has more than two points so far.
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