After trailing for over 35 minutes, senior forward Keon Abrose-Hylton tipped in a go-ahead shot with 2.9 seconds remaining to lift men’s basketball to a 77-75 victory Tuesday night.
Syracuse, who entered the match 6-10 in ACC play, jumped out to a 44-36 lead at half, keeping SMU in check with sharp three-point shooting. In the second half, the Orange lead grew as large as 12 points, but an SMU team-best 16 points from senior guard Kario Oquendo and an 8-point second half from Ambrose-Hylton pulled SMU back into the game.
“It was one of those games where we just have to keep fighting, regardless if we’re down 10, 12 or whatever it is we’re down,” Oquendo said. “They came out and hit a lot of shots, they were playing hard. But at the end of the game, I feel we really locked in and took it from them.”
The Mustangs played sloppily at times, particularly at the foul line. SMU shot 13-27 on free throws compared to Syracuse’s 14-19. In lieu of the abysmal shooting, head coach Andy Enfield called the game a fortunate win.
The key to SMU’s comeback was a stout defense, which allowed only a single goal from the field in the last five minutes of the game. Junior guard Boopie Miller, who played in his first game in nearly three weeks, and senior forward Matt Cross were primary contributors of the defensive effort.
“Our first half defense they were making a lot of tough shots,” Enfield said. “Our players, they came together at halftime, and we just told them no matter what the score is, we’d have to defend at a higher level than the first half and they did that.”
The hero of the game was undoubtedly Ambrose-Hylton, who shot 5-7 from the field for 12 points, including the game-winner. Syracuse got off a response shot but it didn’t land, much to the delight of a frenzied Moody Coliseum crowd.
“It felt good, I thought there was more time left on the clock,” Ambrose-Hylton said. “Once I got my hand on the ball, I knew for a fact it was going in.”
In addition to Senior Night festivities, the Mustangs faced the added pressure of an opportunity for a double-bye in the ACC tournament. Enfield believed the win was crucial for the team’s mindset heading into the final regular season game against Florida State.
“I think [the win] gives us confidence to go in and play great on Saturday,” Enfield said. “Whether we win or not, who knows, we just have to compete, but I feel great.”
With the win, SMU moves to 22-8 on the season and 13-6 in the ACC. The Mustangs will play Florida State in Tallahassee on Saturday at 3 p.m. If the Mustangs pull out a win, they would likely place fourth in the conference heading into the postseason.
