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Syracuse’s defense got it going early on versus NC State.

With 11:46 left in the first half, Petar Majstorovic swiped SU’s first steal of the contest. The Orange scored baskets on two straight possessions. Two minutes later, Naheem McLeod rejected a shot, helping Syracuse go on a 7-2 run.

SU built a 13-point halftime lead behind 16 defensive rebounds and four steals, all by different players. Over the final 20 minutes, the Orange added two more steals and never allowed the Wolfpack to come within nine points.

Behind a dominant defensive performance, Syracuse (12-16, 6-11 Atlantic Coast) ended its three-game losing streak with a 74-60 win over NC State (11-17, 4-13 Atlantic Coast). The Orange outscored the Wolfpack 46-22 in points in the paint, and five different players registered a steal or a block. They also crashed the defensive boards, finishing with a 33-19 advantage.

SU had many questions to answer regarding its defense after allowing at least 80 points in each of its last five games, falling to second-last in the ACC in points allowed. Though against NC State, Syracuse allowed its fewest points since allowing a season-low 55 to Georgia Tech on Jan. 7.

The Orange outrebounded the Wolfpack 38-30, imposing their will in the paint. However, the stat that stuck out to SU head coach Adrian Autry was allowing zero transition points.

“From beginning to end, I just thought we did a really good job defensively,” Autry said.

Syracuse showed few lapses throughout the contest. On offense, SU totaled eight different scorers in the first half alone. When it rested its starters, there weren’t many struggles on either end of the court.

Eddie Lampkin Jr. scored four early points to help SU take a 13-3 lead about five minutes into the contest. When he sat, McLeod took over his spot seamlessly.

Autry tells McLeod to always be ready, and despite not knowing when he’ll get in the game, he made the most of his minutes. McLeod and Jaquan Carlos ran a two-man game that allowed McLeod to score on two consecutive possessions. One of his baskets was an emphatic dunk to lift SU ahead 17-8 just before the 12-minute mark of the first.

Then, McLeod became a key defensive contributor. On that end of the court, McLeod said he feels even more comfortable. In just under six minutes, he recorded a defensive rebound, a block and a steal.

“I tell everybody to follow my lead, no matter if I’m out there or if I’m not out there. I’m gonna talk to them,” McLeod said. “I’m like ‘just send them my way and I’m gonna make it challenging for them.’”

Syracuse held NC State to 12 points in the paint in the first half. During the first 20 minutes, the Orange limited Wolfpack forwards Ben Middlebrooks and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield to a combined four points.

Meanwhile, Lampkin had nearly registered a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds, and McLeod had four points. SU’s bigs had benefited from matching up at practice, and Lampkin saw it mirrored on the court.

“Naheem’s been playing his best basketball,” Lampkin said. “I’m really blessed to have a seven-four dude to play against me at practice, and I feel like he pushes me, I push him.”

At halftime, Syracuse led by 13 points, holding NC State to just 25.

“(The first half) was really important,” Jyáre Davis said. “We haven’t been the best defensive team this season, but I think we did a really good job. I think that we have shown it in spurts and we can play good defense, and I think we did a really good job of showing that today.”

Davis and Starling helped SU add to its lead in the second half, ballooning its advantage to 19 with 14 minutes left. As Syracuse grew its cushion, Lucas Taylor picked the pocket of Middlebrooks, and the NC State forward picked up his fourth foul moments later by hacking Davis.

The Wolfpack tried to climb back, but Majstorovic cut their momentum short by making a play on defense. Throughout the season, Davis has recognized Majstorovic is always in the right spot, which helped him record his second steal of the game at the 11:26 mark of the second.

“(Majstorovic) just does all the dirty stuff that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet that you need to have to win,” Autry said.

For most of the contest, Syracuse couldn’t miss, shooting a 58% clip from the field, while NC State shot just 34%. The Wolfpack pulled within nine points, but it wasn’t enough to threaten the Orange late.

With three games left, SU’s defense elevated it to 13th in the ACC as the conference tournament looms.

“I feel like we played good defense,” Lampkin said. “If we play like that the rest of the season, I feel like we might make a run in the postseason.”

Published on February 27, 2025 at 12:25 am

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32