Syracuse was defeated by Southern Methodist University (SMU) 86-69 in the opening round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on March 10 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The loss ends Syracuse’s season with a record of 15-17. The game was marked by a strong second-half shooting performance from SMU, who improved to 20-12. Nate Kingz led Syracuse with 25 points, while Tyler Betsey contributed 15 points and seven rebounds. Naithan George added 11 assists for the Orange.
SMU’s Boopie Miller matched Kingz with 25 points, including five three-pointers. Jaron Pierre Jr. scored all of his 17 points in the second half, also making five three-pointers during that period. Jaden Toombs recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Mustangs.
After Syracuse narrowed SMU’s lead to eight points early in the second half, SMU responded with a decisive 13-0 run over less than three minutes, extending their advantage beyond reach. Despite efforts from Kingz and Betsey, Syracuse could not close the gap to fewer than ten points for the remainder of the contest.
Kingz led all scorers at halftime with 17 points on efficient shooting, while Betsey added nine first-half points. The Orange briefly held leads during a back-and-forth first half but trailed by one point at intermission. In total, George reached double-digit assists for the sixth time this season and Kingz tied his career-high with eleven made field goals.
SMU’s starting lineup accounted for all of its scoring and outrebounded Syracuse by thirteen boards. The Mustangs also tallied twenty-six second-chance points compared to seventeen fast-break points for Syracuse.
With this result, Syracuse concludes its season while SMU advances further into tournament play.
