A career-high 31-point outing delivered by senior guard Joseph Girard III led Syracuse (3-1) to a 74-71 overtime victory against Richmond (2-3) at the Empire Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Three additional Orange performers finished the night in double-figures – freshman guard Judah Mintz logged 16, while freshman forward Chris Bell (11) and senior center Jesse Edwards (10) each topped a 10 points.
WHEN THE GAME WAS DECIDED
The freshman duo of Bell and Mintz put the Orange ahead by making back-to-back jumpers in overtime. The victory was secured further with two buckets at the charity-stripe delivered by Girard. The Spiders punched in a three-pointer at the buzzer but the Orange walked away with a three-point overtime win.
GAME OF RUNS
The Orange got rolling early by utilizing a 12-0 run. Chris Bell nailed his first three-pointer of the night, Girard added five points with a 3-pointer and a pair of layups, while Mintz contributed a layup. With 15:05 left in the first frame, SU led 14-2.
The Spiders took off on a spurt of their own, using a 13-4 stretch to make it a 20-18 game with 8:47 left to go. Dj Bailey contributed five points, Jason Roche and Tyler Burton added three each, and Isaiah Bigelow locked in a pair to bring Richmond up to speed.
In a closely contested first-half, the matchup was tied three times. Syracuse entered the break with a slight 34-29 edge over Richmond.
HANGING IN THERE
The Orange gained a one-point advantage with just under two minutes to go in the contest,…
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