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One game after winning the turnover battle in its comeback win over Notre Dame, Syracuse reverted back to playing sloppily.

Four minutes in, SU committed its first turnover and it led to a quick deuce for Clemson. With an 8-7 lead, J.J. Starling drove into the corner and drew a double team before attempting a jump pass. Jaeden Zackery swallowed it up and ran the break before dishing to Ian Schieffelin for a slam.

“We were sped up, myself included,” Starling, who finished with a game-high 25 points, said. “I looked to force some things, and it led to transition points for (Clemson).”

Clemson continued to capitalize on its takeaways, outscoring SU 14-0 in points off turnovers in the first half.

Syracuse (9-10, 3-5 Atlantic Coast) trailed by 19 going into halftime due to nine first-half turnovers. Despite trying to limit its turnovers in the second half, it wasn’t enough as it fell 86-72 to Clemson (16-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast). SU’s lead midway through the first was derailed by errant passes and stagnant offense. The Tigers feasted on 14 Orange giveaways, outscoring them 19-4 in points off turnovers in the contest.

Starling’s misguided pass was the first sign of Syracuse starting to lose its offensive rhythm in the first half.

A few minutes later with Syracuse ahead 12-11, Kyle Cuffe Jr. had a chance to add to its lead with a dunk, though it was easier said than done. Despite the lane being wide open, Cuffe skated to the rim but slammed the ball off the back iron. In a way, the missed dunk acted as a turnover, as Clemson gobbled up the loose ball.

SU head coach Adrian Autry added the Orange’s offensive inefficiency was impacting their performance on the other end of the floor.

“Our turnovers affected our defense,” Autry said.

Following Cuffe’s missed chance, Clemson went on a 9-5 run to take a 20-16 lead. The Tigers capitalized on turnovers by Lucas Taylor and Petar Majstorovic, and from there, they didn’t look back.

After Cuffe hit a 3 to pull Syracuse within one, Clemson scored the next seven points.

At the 7:40 mark of the first half, Syracuse repeated an earlier mistake by forcing the ball into the corner. Jyáre Davis drew multiple defenders and threw it into the middle of the lane for an easy scoop and score for Jake Heidbreder, giving the Tigers a 32-21 lead.

“We could take care of the ball a little better,” Cuffe said. “We were trying to make stuff happen because we were down, and (turnovers are) what happens when you try to make stuff happen.”

Starling was SU’s main source of scoring, with 17 points in the first half, but a costly error by Majstorovic slowed him down. Starling beat his defender for a left-side layup, but Majstorovic touched the ball above the rim for an offensive goaltending call to give Clemson the ball and wipe the points off the board.

Then, late in the first half, Syracuse got caught running sideways instead of hugging its corners on handoffs. The Orange’s lack of movement on offense led to two shot clock violations, Autry said.

“A couple of those turnovers, that kind of separated it in the first half,” Autry said.

Clemson stretched its lead to 21 after more SU turnovers in the second half. Two minutes into the second frame, Chase Hunter intercepted a pass by Starling which led to a 3 by Chauncey Wiggins.

Syracuse cut down its turnovers in the second half, but it couldn’t chip away at its double-digit deficit.

The Orange failed to capitalize off Clemson’s miscues, too. Around the 10-minute mark of the second half, Davis ripped the ball away from Hunter, but gave it right back to Wiggins for a score inside.

Against Notre Dame, Syracuse’s nine steals were pivotal to its comeback effort. Though against Clemson, its top players didn’t have strong defensive games. Lampkin and Starling each collected season-highs in takeaways in SU’s last game, with three and two, respectively. The pair didn’t combine for a single steal against the Tigers.

The turnover battle was one sided versus Clemson, as Syracuse had 14 and Clemson finished with seven. The Orange’s offensive hiccups have been repeated, and the Tigers took advantage.

“Some of the turnovers that we’re having, they’re consistent,” Autry said. “We have to do a better job of trying to get that message across, our guys got to do a better job of receiving it.”

Published on January 23, 2025 at 12:02 am

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32