Syracuse Defeats Georgia tech Behind Donnie Freeman’s Career Performance
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Atlanta, GA – Donnie Freeman delivered a career-high performance, scoring 27 points and grabbing a team-best nine rebounds, to lead the Syracuse Orange to an 82-72 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday. The win marked Syracuse’s first ACC conference win of the season.
Game Highlights
The Orange (10-5, 1-1 ACC) showcased a strong offensive display, with contributions from multiple players. naithan George, returning to Atlanta, added 17 points and a team-high five assists. Freshman Kiyan Anthony also reached double figures with 11 points.
Georgia Tech (10-6, 1-2 ACC) was led by baye Ndongo, who scored 20 points and recorded nine rebounds.
Key Moments
A late surge by the Yellow jackets narrowed the syracuse lead to 72-67 with 3:26 remaining. However, Freeman responded with a crucial free throw and a powerful two-handed slam dunk, extending the lead back to eight points at 75-67.
Georgia Tech attempted to rally, but a key block by senior William Kyle III on a layup attempt thwarted their comeback effort. George sealed the victory at the free-throw line, scoring four points in the final 30 seconds, followed by two more free throws from freeman with eight seconds left.
Orange Ignite Offense with Three-Pointers
Syracuse started strong with a speedy alley-oop from Starling to Kyle III. The Orange then found their rhythm from beyond the arc, with George, Freeman, and Kingz each hitting three-pointers to establish an early 11-8 advantage. Anthony continued the barrage, adding another three-pointer to maintain the momentum.
Dominant first Half Performance
Syracuse closed the first half with a 14-5 run, fueled by contributions from Starling, Anthony, and Sadiq White Jr. This surge gave the orange a commanding 44-30 lead at halftime – their highest-scoring first half of the season. George led the charge during this stretch, scoring six points.
Defensively, Syracuse held Georgia Tech to 35.5% shooting from the field and 12.5% from three-point range, while also recording six blocks, three of which came from Freeman.
Freeman Dominates Second Half
the Orange extended their lead immediately after halftime, opening the second half on a 12-6 run, building a 56-36 cushion. Freeman was instrumental in this run, scoring 11 points and shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including a three-pointer and two free throws.
Despite a late push from Georgia Tech, which saw them cut the lead to single digits, Syracuse held on, closing out the game at the free-throw line.
Notable Statistics
- Nine different syracuse players scored in the victory.
- Anthony scored in double figures for the eighth time this season and his first in ACC play,finishing with 11 points.
- Freeman recorded a career-high three blocks in the first half and has registered at least one block in all six of his appearances this season.
- Freeman tied his career-high with three offensive rebounds.
- Kyle III extended his streak of recording at least one block to 15 consecutive games.
- George was perfect from the free-throw line, going 10-for-10.
- Kingz has now hit a three-pointer in four consecutive games.
- Syracuse tallied 19 second-chance points.
Up next
The Syracuse Orange will continue their ACC schedule on Saturday, January 10, with a road game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center.The game is scheduled to tip off at 2:00 p.m.
Syracuse Basketball Tickets
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets.
For complete coverage of Syracuse men’s basketball, follow the team on X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (cuse_mbb).
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