Naithan George scored a season-high 26 points but Syracuse (15-16, 6-12 ACC) fell to Pittsburgh (12-19, 5-13 ACC), 71-69, in overtime at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday evening.
 
Sophomore Donnie Freeman finished with a double-double, logging 18 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Nate Kingz also scored in double figures, posting 14 points on 5-of-8 (.625) shooting.
 
Cameron Corhen led the way for Pittsburgh with 21 points. Barry Dunning Jr. and Nojus Indrusaitis were close behind with 17 and 16 points, respectively. The Panthers scored 36 points in the paint.
 
How the Game Was Decided
The Orange and Panthers exchanged baskets on the opening possessions of overtime, with George and Freeman each getting on the board for Syracuse, keeping it tied at 69-69 with 2:37 to go.
 
After a Syracuse turnover, the Panthers pushed the ball down the floor and Damarco Minor drew a foul but missed both attempts from the line. The Orange couldn’t capitalize on the other end with sophomore Tyler Betsey missing a fadeaway jumper, keeping the game tied with 1:12 showing on the clock.
 
Minor missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, and Freeman’s attempt on the other end was off the mark as well, giving Pittsburgh the ball back with 10 seconds remaining. Out of a timeout, Indrusaitis drove to the basket and senior William Kyle III appeared to swat it away, but officials ruled goaltending, pushing the Panthers’ lead to 71-69 with four seconds to play.
 
George threw up a half-court heave in the final seconds, but the shot missed as Pittsburgh pulled away with the overtime victory. Syracuse did not score in the final 2:37 of overtime.
 
Kyle III Keeps Syracuse Within Striking Distance
Kyle III led the Orange in the early stages, scoring six of the first nine points for Syracuse. All three of his baskets were dunks while Kingz added a 3-pointer to round out the Orange’s scoring in the first seven minutes.
 
The Orange had a slow start shooting the ball, starting 4-of-13 (.308) from the field and 1-of-6 (.167) from 3-point range. The Panthers connected on a pair of 3-pointers to help them take an early 16-9 lead after seven minutes. Pittsburgh outrebounded Syracuse 11-5 during the stretch.
 
Orange Use Late First Half Surge to Take Lead to the Half
Syracuse took advantage of a near four-minute scoring drought from the Panthers, going on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 20-19. George and Freeman each posted four points.
 
The Panthers offense snapped the skid, scoring a pair of layups to extend their lead until George drilled a deep 3-pointer to bring the score to 24-22. Freeman hit a one-and-one at the free-throw line on the ensuing possession to knot the game up at 24-24 with 4:43 to go.
 
The two teams traded shots over the next few minutes before Syracuse closed on a 7-0 run to take a 31-28 edge into the break. George led the Orange with 12 points with two made 3-pointers in the first half. Freeman was close behind with eight points.
 
Pittsburgh Pulls Ahead Early in the Second Half
The Orange got out to a sluggish start in the second half, shooting 2-of-12 (.125) over the first six-and-a-half minutes of the half.
 
Syracuse experienced a four-minute scoring drought and the Panthers capitalized, going on a 12-0 run to take a 45-35 lead with just under 13 minutes left in the game. The Panthers shot 4-of-5 (.800) from the field and made three free throws to power the run.
 
During the 12-0 run from Pittsburgh, the Orange shot 0-of-4 (.000), allowing the Panthers to secure the double-digit advantage.
 
Orange Storm Back
The Orange leaned on George and Freeman to orchestrate a furious comeback that lasted just over two minutes. George knocked down a 3-pointer before Freeman made a second-chance tip-in layup to bring the Orange within seven points at 49-42.
 
George continued to shoot the 3-pointer well, knocking down his fourth of the contest just over a minute after his third. Freeman finished off the run with a layup, cutting the lead to 49-47 with just under eight minutes on the clock. The stretch was a 10-0 Syracuse run that saw the Orange force three turnovers and limit the Panthers to just one field goal attempt.
 
Pittsburgh snapped the streak with a 3-pointer from Indrusaitis but a pair of Freeman free throws and a corner 3-pointer from Betsey tied the game at 52-52 with 6:04 to go.
 
Crunch Time in Regulation
The Orange and Panthers traded 3-pointers in the late stages of the second half and found themselves tied up at 55-55 with under five minutes to play in regulation.
 
The squads continued to go back-and-forth, each team answering the other’s baskets, pushing the score to 61-61 with 2:49 showing on the clock. A Kingz layup gave Syracuse a 63-61 lead, but Pittsburgh responded with a free throw from Indrusaitis and a 3-pointer from Dunning Jr. to take a 65-63 edge with 1:08 remaining. The Orange answered with a pair of free throws from Freeman to tie it back up at 65 but neither team scored over the final minute as the two headed to overtime.
 
Notable Numbers


The Orange finished 16-of-17 (.941) from the free throw line, its highest percentage in a game this season.
Syracuse held Pittsburgh to 6-of-28 (.231) on shots from 3-point range.
Freeman recorded a career-high four offensive rebounds.
George posted his 26th performance with a steal.
Kyle III had three blocks in a game for the 16th time this season.
Pittsburgh won the rebound battle, 39-34.
The Panthers scored 12 second chance points on 11 offensive rebounds. 

Up Next
The Orange will now head to Charlotte, North Carolina for the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament. Syracuse will be the No. 14 seed and play at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday against No. 11 seed SMU.