Syracuse Survives against No. 18 Clemson, Picks Up Biggest Win of Season

By Jake Marsh SYRACUSE, NY – More than 28,000 fans inside the Carrier Dome held their breath as the final buzzer sounded.

Gabe DeVoe III threw a up a near half court shot to potentially tie the game in each team’s regular season finale.

But he missed. And because of that, the Orange (19-12, 8-10) picked up a statement win for its resume with Selection Sunday just eight days away.

Meanwhile, the Tigers (22-8, 11-7) miss out on an opportunity to clinch a double bye in next week’s ACC Tournament in Brooklyn.

The win for Syracuse solidifies Jim Boeheim’s squad in the No. 11 seed in the single-elimination conference rumble. SU faces No. 14 Wake Forest on Tuesday at 7 P.M.

“I will not think they should have done something more,” Coach Boeheim said. “If anything, I would say they could have done something less than what they did. So, we will get ready, we will go to New York, and try to play as well as we can in New York.”

Not only was it a big performance form the Syracuse team, but the team’s leading scorer achieved a milestone in just his second season.

Tyus Battle, a sophomore, eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career early in the second half. He said it’s a cool moment to take in and have nearly 30,000 fans be a part of that moment.

“It is pretty cool,” Battle said. “I mean, I did not even think about it or anything like that, and I didn’t score 1,000 points until my senior year in high school. So, to get it my sophomore year here is pretty cool.”

Battle and freshman Oshae Brissett each led Syracuse with 17 points apiece. Brissett, from Canada, said he is focused on the postseason play ahead.

“You know, the season is not over,” he said. “We just have to get these next couple of games.”

Brissett and center Paschal Chukwu came up with big time blocks down the stretch for the Orange.

“That shows that we were just ready to be there and ready to win,” Brissett said. “We’re doing everything we need to, not just on the offensive end, but also helping out the guys on the defensive end.”

Should Syracuse advance past Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday, SU will be slated to face the No. 6 seed (TBD) Wednesday at 9 P.M.