Joseph Girard III scored 26 points and had seven rebounds to lead Syracuse to a 76-67 victory over host Florida State on Wednesday night at Tallahassee, Fla.
Jesse Edwards recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds as Syracuse (15-10, 8-6 ACC) put together back-to-back wins after snapping a three-game losing streak last weekend.
Matthew Cleveland also finished with a double-double, scoring 19 points and collecting 12 rebounds, but the Seminoles (8-17, 6-8) lost for the fourth time in their past five games and dropped their fourth consecutive home game.
After Chandler Jackson’s jumper gave Florida State a 56-55 lead with 9:26 left, Syracuse closed out the game by outscoring the Seminoles 21-11.
Judah Mintz, who finished with 16 points and six assists, made four consecutive shots and sparked a 10-0 Orange run that gave them a 65-56 lead with just over seven minutes left. Syracuse outscored Florida State 16-2 over a stretch of over five minutes until Caleb Mills hit a pair of free throws with 5:12 left.
The Seminoles went 6:20 without making a field goal until Cleveland’s fast break dunk off a turnover with 3:06 left.
But Mintz and Edwards continued to be effective on the offensive end and ignited an 11-3 surge that put the game away.
Naheem McLeod had one of his better games for Florida State as he totaled 16 points and eight rebounds. But it didn’t stop Syracuse from scoring 40 points in the paint and outrebounding Florida State 39-34.
Darin Green Jr. finished with 17 points and Jackson had nine assists and seven points for the Seminoles.
Florida State led by six at halftime and moved the ball well, finishing with 21 assists. But 12 turnovers resulted in 19 points for Syracuse, which overcame some early shooting struggles and shot 53.1 percent (17 for 32) in the second half.
Chris Bell, who fouled out with 1:57 left, totaled 10 points and six assists for Syracuse.
–Field Level Media
