Boeheim scores 26, Syracuse edges Tar Heels 72-70

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Buddy Boeheim scored 26 to become a 1,000-point career scorer and Syracuse breathed some life into its NCAA Tournament hopes by holding on for a 72-70 win over North Carolina on Monday night.

The Orange were up 14 with 5:18 to play, 10 with less than two minutes to go and eight going into the final minute before it turned into a nail biter.

Twice in the last two minutes the Tar Heels tapped out a missed free throw and hit a 3-pointer for a four-point possession. The second time, when RJ Davis hit a 3, North Carolina was within 70-66 with 42.9 seconds left.

A second late turnover by Syracuse led to a Caleb Love layup to make it 70-68 with 19 seconds left.

Joe Girard made 1 of 2 free throws for a three-point lead and the Orange fouled. However Love missed two free throws and Girard was fouled again. He again made 1 of 2 at 10.1 seconds for a 72-68 lead before the Tar Heels got a putback at the buzzer.

Quincy Guerrier added 18 points for Syracuse (14-8, 8-7 Atlantic Coast Conference), which had lost two straight. Leading scorer Alan Griffin (15.5 points) went 1 for 10, the make coming with 3:26 to play, but added two clutch free throws at 1:06.

Armando Bacot had 18 points and 15 rebounds for North Carolina (14-10, 9-6), which won the first meeting 81-75. Garrison Brooks scored 11 and Love 10. The Tar Heels were plus-20 in rebounding but had 20 turnovers, shot 38.2%, going 4 of 20 behind the arc, and were just 14 of 22 from the foul line.

Boeheim hit three 3-pointers during an 11-0 run to close the half for a 34-28 lead — the last 3 to reach 1,001 points for his career. Boeheim had five of his six 3s and 17 points before the break as the Orange went 7 of 17 from distance to the Tar Heels’ 0 for 9.

Syracuse wraps up the regular season Wednesday at home against Clemson. North Carolina closes against visiting Duke on Saturday.

___

For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up