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Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry thought Tuesday’s 84-71 win over Virginia Tech was his team’s “most complete” performance of the season. He also thought it was the first game where his team played consistent defense for all 40 minutes.

The Orange shot 56.7% from the field, limited VT to just six 3-pointers, won the rebounding battle 31-27 and had four double-digit scorers, led by Judah Mintz’s 29 points. Aside from a second-half comeback attempt by the Hokies that narrowed a Syracuse lead to as low as seven, Syracuse (19-10, 10-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) fended off Virginia Tech (15-13, 7-10 ACC) in its final game at the JMA Wireless Dome this season.

“I thought this game today was probably one of the best games we played in both halves on both ends of the floor,” Autry said.

There were certainly flashbacks of Saturday’s game against Notre Dame, when Syracuse saw a 29-point lead dwindle to three. Against the Hokies, Syracuse led 61-42 with 13:48 remaining, but that turned to just seven with 7:16 to go. Virginia Tech relied on the trio of Hunter Cattoor, Sean Pedulla and Lynn Kidd, who combined for 46 points, before clutch baskets down the stretch and defensive stops halted any threat of a Hokie comeback.

When scouting VT, Autry noted two key things to prepare for — defending the 3-point line and rebounding. Virginia Tech entered averaging more than eight 3-pointers a game, led by Cattoor, who ranked as the fourth-best 3-point shooter in the conference. On the glass, Syracuse had three players with at least six rebounds, and Maliq Brown was just two rebounds away from a double-double.

Overall, Justin Taylor said he felt Syracuse’s second half was “better” compared to the Notre Dame game.

“It’s just about being locked in for all 40 minutes,” Taylor said. “Not thinking that the game’s over and just staying locked in defensively. ”

At the Under-4 timeout in the second half, Syracuse led 77-69. Brown cut from the top of the key for a dunk, while Copeland hammered down an alley-oop. But VT always found ways to respond in the second half. Tyler Nickel drilled a triple, and Mylyjael Poteat had a couple buckets in the paint.

But then the Orange went to Mintz, who Autry described as Syracuse’s “guy.” Mintz controlled the ball out of the timeout, matching up with Cattoor. Driving from the top of the key, he penetrated into the lane, forcing contact from Cattoor. Mintz nestled the ball off the glass, setting up a 3-point play as Syracuse led by 11 with 3:04 remaining.

Virginia Tech had multiple chances from deep to trim the lead, but strong defense by Syracuse forced a selection of rushed shots. After Brown and Quadir Copeland poked the ball loose off Cattoor, Brown’s dunk extended the lead back to 13. Near the end, VT avoided going to the paint, an area where it had 50 points on the night.

“Especially the last couple games, we had a big lead, and teams (have) started to come back,” Brown said. “It kind of showed a little bit today, but we’ve been working on keeping the lead and finishing the game off.”

Autry waited much longer to go to his bench Tuesday, not sending in his first substitutes until 10 minutes in. Kyle Cuffe Jr., entered for J.J. Starling and had a personal 5-0 scoring run to give the Orange a 24-18 lead. Following a Chris Bell block on Robbie Beran and a subsequent Hokie turnover, Cuffe Jr. went down the right sideline for a tough layup coast-to-coast. Then, on SU’s next basket, he drained a catch-and-shoot 3 from a Copeland pass.

Brown and Mintz double-teamed Poteat underneath in the paint, forcing a turnover which resulted in a Starling jumper. Then, Starling chased down Cattoor from behind, got the block off the backboard and allowed Mintz to go coast-to-coast, forcing VT head coach Mike Young to call timeout as SU led 35-22.

Out of the timeout, Syracuse only extended the lead, developing an 18-point advantage at halftime. Aside from a Pedulla triple and Beran bucket inside the paint, the Hokies wouldn’t score for the final two minutes of the first half. Copeland forced Beran off of him for an easy 2, and Mintz hit Pedulla with a crossover to create separation for an elbow jumper.

On another play, Taylor grabbed the defensive rebound off a Kidd miss underneath, getting the ball to Copeland. With a clear path to the bucket, Copeland bolted and bypassed multiple lethargic Virginia Tech defenders for the slam before VT called timeout again.

“We’ve been scoring,” Copeland said of SU’s stretch of three consecutive games with at least 80 points. “We’ve been getting the ball to the right people. Our scorers stepped up tremendously.”

The Hokies initially found some momentum out of the break, as Pedulla had a quick six points for VT, while Beran had a couple second-chance buckets. A Bell corner 3 was the response to MJ Collins’ triple, though Virginia Tech slimmed the deficit to 15 with 15 minutes remaining.

That remained the deficit for the next few minutes. Taylor and Mintz both made a set of free throws. Brown received a pass from Mintz, pivoting his way in a full circle for a lay-in. On the other end, Virginia Tech’s Cattoor hit a catch-and-shoot 3, wrapping around the top of the key. Pedulla, who led the Hokies with 18 points, added another bucket underneath.

Leading by eight with 3:19 remaining, Mintz beat Pedulla underneath off the glass, and shortly after he extended the game back to double digits with a layup and a foul. Mintz dominated the scoring for Syracuse, but Autry rattled off the importance of each playmaker Tuesday. The Orange held off VT in the waning minutes, allowing just four points in the final four minutes of its home campaign.

“We’ve continued to respond,” associate head coach Gerry McNamara said. “I give these guys a lot of credit. They come ready to work and they come ready to fight.”

Published on February 27, 2024 at 9:24 pm

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