SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Syracuse Orange men’s basketball survived a late push to slip past SMU Mustangs men’s basketball 79-78 on Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome in a tight ACC battle.
SMU (17-8, 6-6 ACC) controlled the paint, outscoring Syracuse 44-26 and posting a season-high 27 second-chance points. The Mustangs also won the rebounding battle 41-35 and had six players score in double figures.
Freshman Jaden Toombs led SMU with 19 points, while Corey Washington added 13 points and nine rebounds. Boopie Miller scored 11, extending his double-figure streak to 32 straight games, and dished seven assists. Jaron Pierre Jr. chipped in 12 points, surpassing 2,000 for his career.
Syracuse (15-11, 6-7 ACC) answered with 11 three-pointers and timely late execution to secure the one-point win.
SMU returns home Tuesday to face Louisville, looking to bounce back from a narrow Quad 1 road loss.
