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NC State basketball takes tough loss at Syracuse, 75-72

MattCarterby:Matt Carter•02/14/23•

TheWolfpacker

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NC State-Syracuse box score

With 49.3 seconds remaining, NC State basketball fifth-year senior post player D.J. Burns Jr. ran into Syracuse senior center Jesse Edwards. As Edwards fell to the floor, Burns softly made the short shot a couple feet from the rim as the whistle blew.

Was it a go-ahead basket for the Pack, trailing 73-72, with a chance for a three-point play?

Referee Bert Smith watched the bucket fall and then quickly signaled that it was not.

Charging was the call. Although Edwards was planted inside the restricted area under the basket, as a primary defender he could still take an offensive foul.

Burns fouled out, and in the process, NC State’s last chance to win the game also just left.

On the ensuing possession, Syracuse freshman guard Judah Mintz originally airballed a short baseline jumper, but Edwards was able to grab the board. Handing the ball back to Mintz, the rookie drove into the lane and Smith once again whistled a foul, this time on Burns’ replacement, junior center Ebenezer Dowuona, and much more questionable than the charge on Burns.

Mintz calmly made both free throws for the final points of the game. After a timeout with 23.6 seconds left, NC State struggled to get a good look against the zone before senior guard Jarkel Joiner missed a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining.

Dowuona had a follow attempt hit off the back iron, and then after running down the loose ball in the backcourt, sophomore guard Terquavion Smith’s halfcourt heave missed as time expired.

The result ended NC State basketball’s three-game road stretch with a 1-2 record and dropped the Wolfpack to 20-7 overall and 10-6 in the ACC. Syracuse improved to 16-10 and 9-6.

NC State had its chances to steal a road win after trailing for almost the first 15 minutes of the second half. A three-pointer from Smith tied the game at 63-63 with 5:11 left. Another three from Smith broke a 65-65 tie, and when Joiner made a jumper from just inside the top of the free throw semicircle, NC State was up 70-67 with 3:11 to go.

The Pack nearly had a turnover on the next possession, but Edwards made a game-saving play for Syracuse. After Orange senior guard Joseph Girard III lost control of the basketball, Edwards was able to wrestle the loose ball away from NC State senior guard Casey Morsell. From the seat of his pants, Edwards passed to a wide-open Mintz at the top of the key.

With four seconds left on the shot clock, Mintz, who had not made a three-pointer in his last three games and was just 9 of 47 from long range, or 19.1%, on the season, made a game-tying trey with 2:40 left.

That was one of two low-percentage, shot-clock beating threes Syracuse hit in the contest. Edwards made one with 9:10 left to put the Orange up 59-54.

Following the Mintz trey, Morsell airballed a three with the shot clock expiring. Edwards was then able to convert a three-point play against Dowuona with 1:47 left, putting Syracuse back in front at 73-70.

Burns re-entered the game for the first time since picking up a fourth foul with 13:15 to go, when Syracuse was up 50-43. He immediately went to work and had his own opportunity for an and-1 with 1:35 to go, but his free throw rattled off the rim, leaving NC State down one at 73-72.

The Wolfpack defense was able to force a shot clock violation, leading to Burns’ charge call.

The loss overshadowed a triple double from Joiner, who had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the loss. Burns and fifth-year senior forward Jack Clark also had 15 points, while Smith added 14.

NC State will host rival North Carolina on Sunday for a 1 p.m. tipoff on ESPN.

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