Syracuse (6-7, 0-2 ACC) closed out the 2024 portion of its season with an 81-71 loss to Wake Forest (10-4, 2-1 ACC) on Tuesday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange were led by Lucas Taylor and Jaquan Carlos, who both scored 16 points, while Kyle Cuffe Jr., added a career-high 14 points.For complete coverage […]
Syracuse (6-7, 0-2 ACC) closed out the 2024 portion of its season with an 81-71 loss to Wake Forest (10-4, 2-1 ACC) on Tuesday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange were led by Lucas Taylor and Jaquan Carlos, who both scored 16 points, while Kyle Cuffe Jr., added a career-high 14 points.For complete coverage of Syracuse men’s basketball, follow the team on X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).Beyond The Bench
Syracuse’s bench put up 25 first-half points as the Orange erased an early 16-2 deficit. ‘Cuse held Wake Forest’s bench scoreless in the first half and just 13 points in the game while Taylor had 16 of the 40 points put up by the Orange reserves.Notable Numbers
Taylor Time
Taylor scored a season-high 16 points behind a 6-for-11 effort from the field, which included a trio of made 3-point shots. Tuesday’s game marked his second-straight game with three made baskets from behind the arc. The former Demon Deacon played a season-high 36 minutes off the bench.
Big On The Boards
Lampkin led Syracuse with a game-high 10 rebounds as the Orange finished a 43-33 advantage on the boards. Lampkin poured in eight points falling just shy of back-to-back double doubles to close the year. Jyare Davis pulled down seven rebounds with Cuffe adding a season-best six. How The Game Was Decided
The Orange trailed 16-2 early in the first half but used a 17-8 run to cut it to three after a pair of Eddie Lampkin free throws with 5:01 remaining in the frame. Cuffe cut the Wake Forest lead down to one possession again with an and-one with 3:10 to go. Syracuse trailed by two, 36-34, at the break, backed by 13 first half points from Cuffe while the Orange bench outscored the Demon Deacon’s bench, 25-0.
- Syracuse moves to 11-5 all-time against the Demon Deacons despite Wake winning each of the last three meetings. Syracuse last defeated Wake Forest on March 4, 2023 in legendary head coach Jim Boeheim’s last game at the JMA Wireless Dome.
- Carlos once again led the Orange in assists with four, bringing his season total to 64.
- Of Cuffe’s 14 points, 13 came in the first half, as he matched his previous career high of 13 in the frame.
- The Orange shot just 1-10 from beyond the arc in the second half. The Demon Deacons went 6-12 from deep in the period.
- Syracuse went 24-32 from the free throw line, just one make short of its most in a game this season.
- For the second straight game, the Orange pulled down 15 offensive rebounds. Syracuse has double-digit offensive boards in three of its last four outings. Lampkin led the way with six offensive rebounds.
- Syracuse’s bench was efficient in the first, half scoring 25 of 34 points for the Orange
Up Next
The Orange travel to the Sunshine State to face Florida State on Saturday, Jan. 4. Tipoff in the Tucker Civic Center is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network. Carlos made a pair of free throws to tie the game with 17:10 remaining in the second half and Syracuse took its first lead of the game at 16:37 with a made layup by freshman Donnie Freeman. Syracuse went on to lead by as many as six, but Wake Forest stormed back to go ahead by 10 with under a minute remaining for the double-digit win, 81-71.Tickets
Syracuse men’s basketball tickets are available online (cuse.com/tickets), by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) and at the Dome Box Office (Gate B).
