Emmie blog

Jardine has 23, Syracuse beats NC State 65-59

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Scoop Jardine scored 23 points, Rick Jackson added 16, and No. 8 Syracuse shut down North Carolina State late and beat the Wolfpack 65-59 Saturday night.

North Carolina State (4-3) seemed poised for an upset after taking a six-point lead, but Syracuse clamped down in the final eight minutes, forcing two shot-clock violations and holding the Wolfpack without a basket for the final 7:20.

Syracuse (8-0) wasn't much better. Jackson's hook over freshman C.J. Leslie with 6:43 left was the Orange's last basket. It gave Syracuse a 59-58 lead, but the Orange held on despite missing three free throws in the final 2:08.

Scott Wood had 18 points, all on 3-pointers, and Leslie had 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench to lead North Carolina State.

Kris Joseph had eight points for Syracuse and two key rebounds in the final 70 seconds.

Syracuse won despite shooting 38.3 percent and just 2 of 16 from beyond the arc. But the Orange had only five turnovers to 19 turnovers for the Wolfpack and that helped spell the difference.

Wood was 2 for 8 on 3-pointers in the second half after hitting 4 of 7 in the first, and the open looks he found early disappeared when the game was on the line. He missed three times from beyond the arc in the final minutes and committed a costly turnover.

With Syracuse clinging to a 61-59 lead after freshman center Baye Moussa Keita made one of two free throws with 2:08 left, Wood lost the ball out of bounds on the Wolfpack's next possession and missed a long 3 from the top of the key under pressure that would have tied the game at 62-all with 30 seconds left.

North Carolina State trailed the entire first half before surging ahead at the start of the second. After Jardine's driving layup tied it at 42 with 14:51 left, DeShawn Painter's soft hook off the glass and a 3-pointer from the right wing by Wood gave the Wolfpack a 51-45 lead with 12:17 left.

Syracuse pressed to rally. Jackson slammed home a dunk and his lob to Dion Waiters had the Orange back within 53-49, and the Orange slowly chipped away.

Entering the game, Javier Gonzalez and Wood had combined to hit 24 of 59 (40.7 percent) from beyond the arc, but the rest of the team was shooting 13.9 percent (5 of 36). Wood hit two 3s and Gonzalez drained another from the top of the key in the first 5 minutes of the game to help the Wolfpack keep pace.

Wood matched his season high from beyond the arc by hitting four 3s in the first half alone as he repeatedly broke free for open looks against the Orange's zone.

After jumpers by Brandon Triche and Jackson gave Syracuse a 31-18 lead with 8:31 left, Wood hit two straight 3s to key a 12-1 spurt that got the Wolfpack back in the game as Syracuse got careless, missing three shots and committing a turnover.

A dunk by Leslie and another by Ryan Harrow moved North Carolina State within 32-30 at 5:24. Syracuse led 38-34 at halftime.

The Wolfpack scored the first six points of the second half, taking their first lead of the game on Painter's first basket of the game, a hook in the lane just over 2 minutes in.

In its previous game, North Carolina State was humbled at Wisconsin, 87-48, on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Badgers held the Wolfpack without a point for more than 10 minutes straddling halftime and scored 23 straight points.