87 - 60 
You get a turnover! And you get a turnover! Everybody gets a turnover!
Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images
A season-high 21 turnovers did not do the Syracuse Orange any favors against the Maryland Terrapins at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the Gotham Classic. Maryland used a dominant middle-eight section of the game to run away with a 87-60 win, the worst lost this season for Syracuse.
The start of the game was horrifically sloppy from both teams. Syracuse was 27% from the field before the first media timeout while Maryland was only 31%. The Terps gain their early advantage through Orange turnovers. Syracuse turned the ball over six times while Maryland only turned it over once through the first seven minutes. The Terps scored seven points on those Orange turnovers.
Syracuse’s shooting woes continued as the Orange could not develop anything inside. Maryland’s size underneath the basket prevent Syracuse from attempting high-percentage shots in the post. As such, Syracuse usually had to settle for low-percentage mid-range jump shots. The Orange had only four points in the paint 12 minutes into the game.
All of a sudden, Maryland took over the game. The Terps went on a 17-2 run to end the first half to take a 43-17 lead into half time. The turnover problems continued for Syracuse, with the Orange committing 12 turnovers to Maryland’s four. The Terps scored 18 points off those turnovers, while Syracuse only had two.
And after a slow start shooting the basketball, Maryland finally found the bottom of the net at the end of the half. The Terps ended the first half shooting 45.9% from the field and 6-13 from three. Selton Miguel led all scorers with 16 points, going 4-6 from deep.62
Syracuse struggled shooting all half, often not attempting a score until the shot clock was under five seconds. Lampkin was the best Orange player on the stat sheet, leading Syracuse at half with six points on 3-7 shooting, but grabbed nine rebounds.
The game quickly spiraled more out of control as Syracuse continued to play sloppy basketball in the second half. Lazy Orange defense and lazy Orange ball security gave the Terps open lanes to initially drive down the lane for free points in the paint. Those first attacks in the paint opened up Miguel for more open looks from range. He ended the game with 24 points to lead all scorers. His six threes in the game is a career high.
Maryland also dominated Syracuse in the paint. The Orange continued to search for opportunities under the basket and either couldn’t convert or couldn’t find a shot. On the flip side, Maryland took advantage of their size and easily scored at will under the hoop. The Terps finished with a 42-26 advantage for points in the paint. Maryland finished +9 on turnover differential, with 25 points of Syracuse turnovers.
Syracuse finally found some offense in the middle of the second half. Donnie Freeman finally settled into the game and finished the game with 15 points on 6-10 shooting and seven rebounds. Elijah Moore also finally got shots off and finished with 16 points on 7-11 shooting and 2-3 three-point shooting. Kyle Cuffe played his most minutes this season and dropped 10 points on 4-9 shooting and 2-5 three-point shooting.
The Orange return home to Syracuse to host Bucknell next Saturday, December 28 at 2:00 pm ET.
