Syracuse (10-6, 0-3 Atlantic Coast) lost a 74-73 overtime heartbreaker to Clemson (8-6, 2-1) in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday night. The Tigers used a late 3 to force overtime, and Trevor Cooney missed a shot that would have given the Orange a two-point lead in the final moments of overtime.

As a result, SU remains winless in conference play and here are three quick reactions from the game.

1. Defending the paint

Clemson made a 3 to force overtime after Syracuse built a small final-minute lead, but it was interior offense that helped the Tigers edge the Orange in the final five minutes.

After Syracuse pulled within three toward the end of regulation, Jaron Blossomgame got inside position on Tyler Lydon and hit a turnaround jump hook toward the end of the shot clock. The Tigers had worked the ball inside for most of the game and had its most success in overtime, with Landry Nnoko scoring five overtime points inside before he fouled out with 1:28 left in the extra period.

The paint was mainly Lydon’s responsibility for the second half and overtime, as starting center Dajuan Coleman played just 13 minutes, most of which came in the first.

Syracuse didn’t crumble in the final five minutes of regulation like it had in its first two ACC losses, but it couldn’t defend the paint for 45 minutes against a Clemson team hellbent on using its size to beat the Orange.

2. Clutch but inexperienced

Malachi Richardson made his biggest contributions on the defensive glass for Syracuse, but an end-of-the-shot-clock 3 in the final minute was his best play of the night.

With the crowd counting down the last moments of the 30-second shot clock, Richardson got the ball from Tyler Roberson in the corner by the SU bench and launched a fadeaway prayer at the rim. It swished through the basket, and he celebrated in a mob of Orange bench players before running back on defense.

That gave Syracuse a 60-56 lead, and Nnoko made two free throws at the other end of the floor to pull Clemson within two. But Richardson then split two free throws on the next possession and a Gabe DeVoe 3 forced overtime one play later. Then Richardson split a pair of free throws to let Clemson hold a two-possession lead toward the end of overtime.

For the freshman, there were late-game heroics but also missed opportunities at the foul line that let Clemson stay in, and later win the game.

3. ‘Plugged in Robey’

When Tyler Roberson cut Clemson’s lead to 37-33 with a mid-range jumper early in the second half, he’d scored 12 of the Orange’s 33 points and had twice as many makes (six) as misses (three).

Three days before Christmas, SU interim head coach Mike Hopkins said a Tyler Roberson “plug-in” was as the top of his wish list so he could get the power forward to perform to his potential every game. And while Roberson remains mercurial as ever, he was certainly plugged-in against the Tigers.

After fueling Syracuse with 10 first-half points, Roberson finished with 14 points and four rebounds after struggling to produce in the Orange’s loss to Miami on Saturday. He also helped Tyler Lydon protect the rim against a bigger Clemson frontcourt as starting center Coleman played limited minutes.

Published on January 5, 2016 at 10:30 pm