Pitt
14-19
Syracuse
20-12
Syracuse Surges Past Pitt at ACC Tournament
3/13/2019 11:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Buddy Boeheim had a career-high 20 points, and Syracuse defeated Pitt, 73-59, Wednesday night in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Elijah Hughes and Frank Howard each had 18 points for the Orange, who'll face No. 5 Duke in a rubber match Friday night in the quarterfinals in a game that could feature the return of Zion Williamson from an injury.
Boeheim, the son of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, got the start for the Orange (20-12) in place of the injured Tyus Battle and played an instrumental role in a second-half comeback.
Pitt's Jared Wilson-Frame had 24 points on a Pitt record-tying eight 3-pointers, one shy of the ACC Tournament record held by Randolph Childress of Wake Forest in 1995.
Syracuse trailed 36-30 at halftime after Wilson-Frame connected on 6 of 9 3-pointers.
But the Orange shot 54 percent in the second half, including six 3-pointers of their own, and pulled away from the Panthers down the stretch.
Pitt's freshman backcourt of Trey McGowens and Xavier Johnson, who combined for 46 points in a first round win over Boston College, were limited to seven points.
BIG PICTURE
Pittsburgh: The Panthers (14-19) won only three games in the regular season but have a solid young nucleus returning next season led by Johnson and McGowens.
Syracuse: The Orange may have solidified a spot in the NCAA Tournament with 20th win of the season in a difficult conference.
UP NEXT
Pittsburgh: Season over.
Syracuse: Will play Duke for a third time. The teams split during the regular season with both teams winning on the road.
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