Nate Kingz’s game-winner lifts Syracuse over SMU
Nate Kingz drove the lane and hit the winning layup with 2.3 seconds to play to lift host Syracuse to a wild 79-78 win over SMU on Saturday afternoon in an Atlantic Coast Conference dustup.
The Mustangs led 61-49 with 12:15 to play before Syracuse (15-11, 6-7 ACC) rallied. Naithan George grabbed a rebound and went the length of the floor for a layup to put the Orange up by a point with 3:21 left.
Jaden Toombs's follow-up tip in with 2:41 left put the Mustangs back on top, but Toombs then missed a pair of free throws with 1:28 to play that would have expanded the lead. Syracuse's Tyler Betsey missed out a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left before SMU came up empty on the next possession, setting the table for Kingz's game-winning drive to the basket.
Donnie Freeman led the Orange with 18 points, while George scored 16. Kingz and Kiyan Anthony had 13 points each.
Toombs paced SMU (17-8, 6-6 ACC) with 19 points. Corey Washington added 13 points and nine rebounds, Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 12 points, and Boopie Miller and Samet Yigitoglu tallied 11 each. SMU went scoreless over the final 2:41 and missed six of its final seven shots.
The game went back and forth over its first five and a half minutes and was tied at 12-12 after Freeman hit a free throw at the 14:35 mark of the first half. SMU took the lead and pushed its advantage to 24-17 on Jermaine O'Neal Jr.'s dunk off a fast break pass from Miller with 9:19 left in the half.
Syracuse was within 24-21 after a pair of free throws by Freeman with 8:37 to play before halftime. The Mustangs then got pair of baskets from Toombs along with two free throws and a 3-pointer from Pierre to stroke their lead to 33-21 with 6:22 remaining.
But the Orange swung back, using an 8-0 run to draw to within 37-35 after William Kyle III hit a pair from the charity stripe with 1:50 left in the half. Washington's jumper 48 seconds later allowed SMU to carry a 39-35 lead into the break.
Freeman led all scorers with 11 first half points, while Toombs amassed 10 off the bench for SMU.