The Syracuse Orange knocked off the Pittsburgh Panthers, 62-59, Thursday to move on to the Big East semifinal round.
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh results: Orange hold off Panthers, move on to Big East semis
Syracuse held off a late-game charge from Pittsburgh and will be facing Georgetown in the Big East semifinals.
The game started off back-and-forth, with both teams trading shots. After a 14-14 tie, however, Syracuse went off with a 13-1 run. The Orange were led by James Southerland, who had 17 points and made all five three-point shots in the first half. The Orange went into halftime up big, 40-27.
Pittsburgh mounted a comeback in the second half, using an 11-3 run to cut the deficit down to 47-43 with 8:34 left in the game. However, a Michael Carter-Williams three-pointer and C.J. Fair layup quickly put the Orange up big again. Pittsburgh refused to quit, though, and got back within three points. At the 32-second mark, Talib Zanna threatened to tie the game with a bucket and foul, but he missed the free throw. Two more freebies from Carter-Williams sealed the game for the Orange.
Southerland had a quiet second half, but he still led Syracuse with 20 points and was a perfect 6-of-6 on three-pointers. Lamar Patterson was the hero for Pitt, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds. Three-pointers proved to be the difference in the game, as Syracuse made 12-of-19 from beyond the arc, compared to just 6-of-18 for Pittsburgh.
The Orange move on to the Big East semifinals, where they will face Georgetown and have a chance for revenge, after the Hoyas routed them, 61-39, in the regular-season finale.
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