Donnie Freeeman, playing only his second game since returning from a foot injury, scored a career-high 27 points to help Syracuse hang on to defeat Georgia Tech 82-72 on Tuesday in Atlanta.
Freeman was 9-for-18 from the field and added nine rebounds, two assists, three blocked shots and one steal in 34 minutes. The sophomore forward scored nine straight points early in the second half to help the Orange build a 20-point lead. He ended Georgia Tech’s late comeback hopes with an emphatic two-handed dunk with 1:29 left that restored an eight-point lead.
Syracuse (10-5, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) also got 17 points and five assists from Naithan George, a transfer from Georgia Tech, and 11 points from Kiyan Anthony.
Georgia Tech (10-6, 1-2) was led by Baye Ndongo with 20 points and nine rebounds. Ndongo left the game with 4:27 left in the first half because of a leg injury, but he was able to return in the second half and play around foul trouble. He picked up his third foul at 18:18 and his fourth personal foul just one second later.
Syracuse enjoyed an 18-point lead with 9:16 remaining when momentum shifted. Georgia Tech went on a 16-3 run and cut the lead to 72-67 on a layup by Ndongo with 3:26 remaining. But the Yellow Jackets could not close the gap and the Orange were 6-for-6 at the line in the final minute to ice the game.
The Yellow Jackets also got 11 points from Kowacie Reeves Jr. and 10 points from Jaeden Mustaf. The loss ended Georgia Tech’s five-game home winning streak.
The Yellow Jackets were without starting center Mouhamed Sylla for the second straight game. They gave 7-footer Peyton Marshall his second start, but he left the game after committing two turnovers and three personal fouls in the first six minutes.
The Orange took the lead for good in the first half on a dunk by J.J. Starling at 9:37, which sparked a 12-3 run that was punctuated by Anthony’s 3-pointer for a 30-21 lead with 6:10 remaining. Syracuse closed the half on a 12-4 run and led 44-30 at the break.
