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In Syracuse’s first meeting with NC State this season, the Orange cruised to a 77-65 victory at the JMA Wireless Dome on Jan. 27. Led by J.J. Starling’s career-high 26 points, Judah Mintz’s 20 and Chris Bell’s 13, SU featured three double-digit scorers while the Wolfpack finished shooting 35.8% from the field.

Since then, NC State has picked up wins over Miami and Georgia Tech while Syracuse — despite defeating then-No. 7 North Carolina at home on Feb. 13 — has gone 2-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Yet on Tuesday, SU re-entered the win column with just its third away victory of the season. Led by Bell’s team-high 26 first-half points, the Orange also benefited off of a career-high 25 points from Quadir Copeland to eke out a crucial resume-building result.

Here are a few observations from Syracuse’s (17-10, 8-8 ACC) 87-83 win over NC State (16-10, 8-7 ACC):

The Chris Bell first-half show

Bell didn’t have the best game against Georgia Tech. He missed open looks and fired on ill-advised opportunities for a couple of air-balls and six points on 2-for-7 shooting. It was a forgettable performance.

Within the first six minutes of Tuesday’s contest at PNC Arena, however, Bell notched four 3s on perfect shooting for 12 instant points. His fifth make from range prompted a celebratory jig from Copeland on the sideline.

Bell, who averages 11.2 points per game, hit his first 3 on a kick-out pass from Maliq Brown. Uncontested in the left corner, he hit over a converging Jayden Taylor to give the Orange a 3-2 lead.

Then, in rhythm, catch-and-shoot jump shots to answer opposing baskets kept Syracuse firmly in front. On one play, he pump-faked to get Casey Morsell in the air before executing a smooth sidestep to can an off-balance perimeter bucket.

By the end of the opening half, Bell finished with an astonishing eight made 3’s — one shy of a program record — and 26 points. He did miss a ‘heat-check’ effort in transition, his first in nine shots, but the attempt was warranted.

Yet, by the 6-minute mark in the second half, Bell had fallen ice-cold. Curling around a screen, he missed an early 3-point opportunity and received minimal looks afterward. Instead of feeding the sharpshooter often as it did prior, SU’s offensive sets were stagnant and involved a plethora of one-on-one action. Bell was left out.

DJ Horne’s continued dominance

Peeling off a screen to face Mounir Hima on the right wing, Horne likely received the mismatch he wanted. Yet, instead of attacking the taller, slower Hima, Horne tossed up an awkward-looking attempt which swished through.

Positioned near SU’s bench after Horne’s make, Hima glanced at head coach Adrian Autry in protest. There was nothing his 6-foot-11 frame could do about that.

A graduate transfer from Arizona State, Horne is NC State’s leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points per game. He’s ramped those numbers up across the Wolfpack’s last two outings, however, after registering 58 points combined versus Wake Forest and Clemson. In Horne’s last five contests, he’s hit 3s at a 49% clip.

Horne’s first two makes came in identical fashion — pull-up 3’s on the left wing — before he connected from other spots and ramped up the difficulty. The aforementioned splash over Hima came after a tough finish from straight-on over Starling’s smothering contest.

Though Horne lost some steam toward the waning minutes of the first half with two misses, his 7-for-10 shooting and 21 points saved NC State further embarrassment.

Horne’s first basket of the second half arrived when Mintz lost him on a flare-out on the left wing. Catching the ball in stride, Horne rose and canned the shot over Mintz’s outstretched left arm. Minutes later, now trailing 74-68, NC State put possession in his hands near midcourt. Operating on Copeland as he started his dribble, Horne hoisted a pull-up 3 which fell through — igniting a once-dormant home crowd.

Syracuse’s lights-out first half

Headlined by a career night for Bell, Syracuse rained in a season-high 55 first-half points on 61.29% shooting to build up a 55-40 lead at the break. Despite being without Mintz for the majority of Tuesday’s opening 20 minutes — the starting point guard committed two early fouls — SU’s offense ran rampant.

Starling recorded 10 points on a series of efficient mid-range shots and sixth-man Copeland poured in 16. Usually inserted early in contests and late-game situations, Copeland began the evening with a thunderous two-handed dunk along the baseline and consistently got to the basket for layups and floaters.

Early in the second half, sophomore guard Justin Taylor entered the scoresheet following up a missed Bell layup. Mintz totaled his first two at the charity stripe then hit on a hanging lefty lay-in off of a give-and-go with Brown — the latter of which gave Mintz his 1,000th career point.

A nervy second half

When Mintz coughed up possession in enemy territory — prompting Horne to run away in transition — Syracuse’s once-14-point cushion had evaporated. Empty offensive sets and an inability to generate defensive stops saw the Wolfpack inch close beyond comfort.

During a 7-0 stretch that trimmed SU’s advantage in half, forward DJ Burns Jr. spearheaded the NC State scoring run. Navigating through double teams and a pestering Brown on the low block, Burns Jr. expertly picked out his teammates on back cuts and swished in a handful of lefty hooks. He finished with 12 points on 50% shooting.

The Wolfpack would attain its first lead since the 18:32 mark in the first half when backup forward Ben Middlebrooks knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 82-81. But down the stretch — with both sides coming up empty in clutch situations — Copeland sealed the game with two makes at the charity stripe and a crucial defensive stop on Horne.

Finishing with a game-high 32 points, Horne missed a go-ahead look in the left corner and Syracuse escaped.

Published on February 20, 2024 at 9:36 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff