SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Jesse Edwards celebrated his Senior Night with a 20-20 double-double and Syracuse defeated Wake Forest 72-63 on Saturday.
Edwards had 27 points and 20 rebounds (eight on offense) for the Orange. His stat line also included five steals and two blocks. Fellow senior Joe Girard had 16 points and freshman Judah Mintz scored 17 for Syracuse (17-14, 10-10 ACC).
Wake Forest senior Tyree Appleby had 21 points and eight assists to become the first player in ACC history to lead the conference in both categories. Daivien Williamson added 11 points for the Demon Deacons (18-13, 10-10).
A personal 8-0 run by Edwards turned an eight-point Syracuse lead into a 16-point blowout at the midway point of the second half. A 3-pointer by Appleby stopped the run but Wake Forest had scored only seven points in a seven-minute stretch. The Demon Deacons knocked nine points off their deficit and trailed 70-63 with 48 seconds remaining before Mintz added two free throws for Syracuse to cap the scoring.
Mintz scored 13 points and Edwards had 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists to lead Syracuse to a 39-29 halftime lead. Girard added 10 points in the half and Appleby led Wake Forest with 11 points.
Syracuse honored its 2003 national championship team and retired the jerseys of Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick.
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