Syracuse men's basketball claws to 104-95 win over Youngstown State in Double Overtime

All of the heart attacks, none of the free throws

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Scared of picking up his fifth foul in the second overtime period, 7 foot 3 Gabe Dynes couldn’t establish positioning against Eddie Lampkin.

The Syracuse Orange big man found his way right under the basket and scored to give his squad a four-point lead. While Youngstown State answered with free throws, Lampkin went through Dynes on the next possession, scoring another bucket in the lane.

Fighting for a rebound after a missed free throw, Dynes fouled out, and Syracuse was able to close it out from there.

It’s the third consecutive game to start the season that was way too close for Syracuse, as the Orange needed an extra ten minutes to get the job done, 104-95 over Youngstown State inside the Dome. JJ Starling finished with a career-high 38, with 31 in the second half and overtime periods, to lead Syracuse back from a near double-digit deficit and pick up the win. His final basket, a driving layup with 1:11 to play in the second overtime, extended the SU lead from three to five, and it wouldn’t get back within one possession.

The game wasn’t without plenty of hiccups, including a meager 21 of 34 possible ‘Cuse points at the free throw line.

On Youngstown State’s second possession of the game, Penguins guard EJ Farmer zoomed off a dribble handoff from Gabe Dynes. He had Starling at his back as soon as he burst around the screen and found his way to the basket for the game’s opening points.

From there, the tone of the first half was set, as Youngstown State continued to easily drive the ball past Syracuse’s guards, with no threat at the rim to deter them. Their first eight points of the game were all scored in the paint, and once a few threes started falling, the Penguins were in control of the game, ahead 14-7.

Syracuse worked its way back once it drew two fouls on Dynes, forcing YSU to go to a small lineup with Christian Kirkland, and later, Nico Galette, at the five.

Lucas Taylor cut off Lampkin at the top of the key, and the big man found him for a slam dunk, which gave the Orange an 18-17 lead. Then, Lampkin scored two baskets in a row, a layup on the roll, fed by Starling, and then a second-chance and-one layup to retake a 22-20 advantage.

But Youngstown State immediately put a lid on the Syracuse basket once Lampkin checked out of the game, building up a six-point lead. As the Orange offense dealt with indecision, Galette, Farmer, and Harper continued to put points on the board, bringing the lead up to seven.

On the final possession of the first half, Kirkland read Bell’s movement to the corner off Lampkin’s flare screen and rejected his three-pointer. On the ensuing inbound, Taylor couldn’t find a man open, and zipped a pass to Starling, who had his back foot behind the timeline, giving the ball right back to the Penguins with two seconds left.

Youngstown State extended its lead to nine early in the second half, but Dynes picked up his third foul, opening up the paint for the high-low connection of Lampkin and Donnie Freeman.

Syracuse brought the lead down to five, and YSU committed a few dumb turnovers. A Penguin caught the ball with his foot on the sideline, and then Dynes committed a moving screen for his fourth foul with just under 14 minutes to play.

Starling brought some ignition for the offense, with a layup and then tying the game on a left wing three in transition following a drop-off from Carlos. That three came immediately after Harper missed an open dunk that would’ve extended Youngstown State’s lead to five.

The Orange rode a bounce-back in three-point variance to taking the lead back in the second half. Starling tied the game for the second time in a few minutes, then he found Freeman on the pick-and-pop for the go-ahead shot halfway through the frame.

With the game re-tied, Galette forced a Syracuse turnover, and the ensuing Youngstown State possession ended with Juwan Maxey drawing a foul shooting a three. After the under-8 timeout, he made two of three free throws.

SU had a few chances to take a two-point lead, but missed three of four free throws, and led by just one before Farmer and Lampkin traded baskets with about six minutes left. Then, Farmer tied the game at 58, going one-for-two at the line.

Taylor fouled out with 4:38 to play, and Farmer made two free throws as Carlos and Freeman checked back in. Following a dumb turnover, Galette made his way into the lane and extended the Penguins lead to two possessions for the first time in nearly ten minutes.

Autry called timeout, and Starling curled from the left wing to the right elbow, dropping in a runner. Then, after Farmer missed a jumper, Carlos drew a foul in the backcourt and tied the game at 62.

The Orange did a much better job defensively in the second half, forcing a fair few tough shots, but Youngstown State was game, making a few of them and staying in control.

With the game tied at 64, Galette was left open on the left wing, and drilled a three over the reach of Bell. But Lampkin brought the Dome, mostly docile on the night, to its feet with an offensive rebound and-1, albeit missing the potential game-tying free throw.

The lead flipped back and forth a few more times on free throws, but Starling went one-for-two with 38 seconds left, giving the Penguins a chance to have a possession in a tied game.

Galette, who finished with 21 points, all of them seemingly massive, drove the baseline on Freeman, and gave the Penguins a 73-71 lead with a layup with 14 seconds to play.

After a timeout, Starling had nobody in his way as he tied the game at 73 with 8.6 seconds to go.

Youngstown State got into the lane on the final possession of regulation, but fumbled the ball, sending the game to overtime.

The teams traded buckets for the first few minutes of overtime, but the tide began to turn when Jaquan Carlos stole the ball from Jason Nelson, and extended the lead to four.

Then, while trapped in the corner, Eddie Lampkin delivered his 6th assist, somehow finding Chris Bell under the basket for an and-1 with under two minutes to play, bringing the advantage to six.

But the Orange couldn’t finish it then. Youngstown State made a few tough shots, and then Carlos missed two free throws before fouling out himself, and sending Harper to the line.

He made both free throws, and Starling’s potential game-winner clanked off the of the rim and backboard, sending the game to double overtime.

The Penguins took the first lead of double overtime, but Elijah Moore calmly drained a three from the right corner to give the Orange a lead that it wouldn’t relinquish.

Aside from Starling, Freeman and Lampkin were the other SU players in double figures, scoring 19 and 20 respectively, while also recording double-doubles.

For Youngstown State, Farmer led the way with 26, a new career-high.