Syracuse Orange Stumble at Home Against Clemson Tigers, 68-77
The Syracuse Orange faced a challenging contest against the Clemson Tigers, culminating in a 68-77 defeat. The Orange's season record now stands at an even split, while the Tigers have improved their standing with this victory. Despite a valiant effort in the second half where they outscored their opponents by four points, it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit established in the first.
The home team's performance was marked by aggressive defense, as evidenced by their impressive tally of 14 steals. However, this defensive tenacity was not matched on the offensive end where Syracuse struggled with a field goal percentage of just 39 percent compared to Clemson's more efficient 61 percent shooting from the field. The Orange also lagged behind in rebounding, securing only 24 rebounds against Clemson's dominant presence on the boards with a total of 41 rebounds.
Syracuse did show some resilience after halftime by increasing their offensive output and converting more opportunities into points within the paint. They managed to put up an additional twenty points inside compared to their first-half performance but still fell short of Clemson’s commanding forty-eight paint points throughout the game.
The three-point line also proved challenging for Syracuse as they made only seven shots from beyond the arc at a rate of thirty percent while Clemson capitalized on their long-range attempts with six made threes at forty-three percent accuracy. Free throw shooting was one area where Syracuse held an advantage over Clemson; they shot seventy-three percent from the line which is slightly better than Clemson’s sixty-nine percent.
Despite these efforts and improvements in certain areas during play, turnovers were less frequent for Syracuse who committed only eight compared to twenty-one by Clemson; however, it wasn't enough to shift momentum entirely in favor of The Orange.
Looking ahead after this tough loss at home inside JMA Wireless Dome before an attendance crowd numbering twenty-three thousand fifty fans eager for victory – The Syracuse Orange are set to face off against North Carolina Tar Heels next week. This upcoming game is scheduled for February 13th at seven o'clock PM Eastern Time right here in JMA Wireless Dome located within zip code area one three two one zero – fans can catch all action live nationally broadcasted on ESPN channel two hundred six ensuring no moment is missed from what promises be another exciting matchup college basketball season continues unfold.