Orange Overcome Panthers in a Fierce Showdown at the Dome: Syracuse Secures Victory

The Syracuse Orange, ranked 17th, added another win to their record with a 63-53 victory over the unranked Pittsburgh Panthers. The Orange now stand with an impressive record, while the Panthers' season continues to be challenging. The game unfolded at the JMA Wireless Dome where 4,178 fans witnessed a competitive battle that saw three ties and eight lead changes.

The Orange started off slightly ahead in the first quarter with a one-point lead but fell behind by halftime as they trailed by five points. However, they turned up their performance after the break. In an impressive third quarter comeback, they outscored the Panthers by three points and continued their surge into the final quarter with a dominant twenty-two point finish.

Syracuse's defense was pivotal; both teams had three blocks each but it was Syracuse's nine steals that helped turn defense into offense. The home team capitalized on turnovers scoring fifteen points off them which matched what Pittsburgh managed despite having two fewer steals than Syracuse.

Offensively, free throws were crucial for Syracuse as they made eighteen out of twenty-one attempts which translated to an excellent eighty-six percent success rate from the line. Their field goal percentage stood at thirty-three percent with nineteen successful shots out of fifty-eight attempts. From beyond the arc, seven out of twenty-seven attempts found their mark giving them a twenty-six percent success rate from three-point range.

Rebounding was another area where Syracuse excelled; they pulled down forty-two rebounds compared to Pittsburgh’s thirty-seven. This included sixteen offensive rebounds which contributed significantly to fifteen second-chance points for Syracuse.

For Pittsburgh Panthers, shooting accuracy was not on par as they only managed thirty-five percent from field goals and eighteen percent from three-point territory despite making eighty-three percent of their free throws. They also struggled in maintaining possession towards game end which is reflected in their fifteen turnovers compared to fourteen by Syracuse.

Looking ahead for fans of The Orange: The next challenge will be against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Reynolds Coliseum on February 29th at 7 PM Eastern Time. Fans can catch this away game live through ACC Network Extra available online ensuring not a moment is missed as these two teams face off on court.