SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Orange basketball team was backcourt-led in the 14 point victory over Notre Dame on Saturday. Nate Kingz poured in a career-high 28 points while JJ Starling finished with 21 points.
It was the second time Kingz has flirted with 30 points in the last two weeks. His 11-17 shooting night represents the most shots he’s taken in his college career. That comes after a performance where NC State limited him to just five shots.
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Not much changed systematically with Syracuse’s offense so much as the team just executed more efficiently. A limited Notre Dame defense helps. Kingz said the team didn’t necessarily try to get him more open looks. He surmised he was simply the beneficiary of better ball movement.
“I think we did a lot better of a job of moving the ball side to side, not holding it too often,” Kingz said post game. “Just way better ball movement tonight than in the past two or three games.”
Kingz went 5-10 from beyond the arc against Notre Dame, tying a season-high in three point makes. He had some electric plays around the rim, finishing off transition dunks and dunks off lobs.
“Kingz was dynamite for us tonight,’ said Donnie Freeman, who came off the bench. ”He had three or four dunks. I don’t think y’all have ever seen him dunk four times. He was dynamite for us tonight. He was big. I’m so happy for him and JJ. Hopefully they can roll this confidence into Monday and just be the players I know they can be.”
Kingz has played some really good two-way basketball through Syracuse’s losing streak. He’s shooting 16-30 from three in Syracuse’s last five games (53%), including 11-14 from the free throw line. He’s also one of the best defenders on the team. He missed two free throws at the end of Saturday’s game to finish shy of 30 points.
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“I wish he would’ve made those two free throws for 30,” Freeman said. “He’s as good as anybody. I’m just so glad he got to get it going tonight. He needed it for sure. We needed it.”
Starling, meanwhile, came out against his former team and made his first seven shots. He did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 17 of his 21 to lead the team early. The Orange went on an 11-0 run in a stretch where Starling connected on two threes that ultimately gave Syracuse a lead it wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way. Starling was able to get his mid-range shot to fall in the first half.
“Man he just put on a clinic especially in that first half with mid-range shots,” Kingz said. “He was putting on a clinic. That’s what we expect him to do. He’s a great scorer, one of our leaders. Just gotta ride the high when he’s playing like that.”
Sadiq White, who started in place of Freeman against Notre Dame, could sense the focus from Starling and Kingz earlier on game day.
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“I knew what time it was when I walked in here this morning,” White said. “You could see the hunger in their eyes. We were desperate for a win after coming off all those games that we dropped.”
Starling scored over 20 points for the first time in ACC play on Saturday. Syracuse’s leading scorer a season ago with 17.8 points per game, his scoring has taken a back seat this season. With more offensive threats surrounding him and an emphasis on playing a more complete, all-around game, Starling hasn’t had to shoulder so much of the scoring load. Saturday was just his second 20-point game on the season. He had ten 20-point games a season ago.
Starling, who took a tough blow to the face toward the end of the game, was unavailable to media after the game. He’s not conducted interviews in the last three home games.
With all the noise surrounding the Syracuse basketball program stemming from fan frustration and disappointment, the Orange had a productive week of practice in spite of it. Barring a miracle, the Orange has effectively removed itself from consideration for at-large NCAA Tournament berth. Everybody knows the stakes this season, and what the consequences of what falling short of “meaningful games in March” would mean.
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Autry said there would be no self-pity.
“The one thing that I made a point of: I didn’t want to see anyone’s head down. No one’s feeling sorry,” Autry said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Again, I’ve said it before. I really believe in the team and we’ve got the pieces. We’ve played well — well enough to win games — even in this tough stretch we’ve played well enough to win games.”
After some sluggish play from the Syracuse backcourt in recent weeks — a believed to be strength coming into the season — the Orange received strong play from the group overall against a limited Notre Dame team. Naithan George finished with 10 assists a zero turnovers. He had four points, four rebounds and a pair of steals as well.
An emphasis in practice leading up to Saturday’s game was moving the ball and not letting it die in player’s hands. Syracuse has had trouble when the halfcourt offense begins to stagnate. That happens through various stretches of play, but the Orange was able to push through that Saturday with one of its most complete games.
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With Notre Dame threatening to push Syracuse late, trimming the lead to six, Kingz bailed out Syracuse with the shotclock winding down. George passed to Kingz and without a moment to spare, the 6-foot-5 wing knocked down a three to effectively put the game out of reach.
“I knew time was ticking down,” Kingz said. “I was wide open. He found me and just knocked it down. That was a big momentum play for sure.”
Time has ticked down for Syracuse on the season as well. While the tournament is more than just a long-shot, there’s still something to play for.
“The one thing we can’t do is hold our heads down and that wasn’t happening,” Autry said. “They were competing. This is a good group. JJ, our leaders really set the tone. They would not allow it.”
