Orange Fall Late to Hofstra, 70-69

Saturday, December 13

Syracuse, N.Y.

4:00 PM

Syracuse University

6-4,0-0ACC

Hofstra

8-4,0-0CAA

Hofstra

Syracuse

12/13/2025 6:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Hofstra's German Plotnikov knocked down a corner three-pointer with 34 seconds left and the Pride (8-4) held off host Syracuse (6-4) the rest of the way in a 70-69 decision at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday.

Hofstra's 3-point shooting made a significant difference, as the Pride went 12-of-18 (.667) from beyond the arc. Cruz Davis led all scorers with 22 points.

Senior J.J. Starling led five Syracuse double-digit scorers with a season-high 15 points. Senior William Kyle III had 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks, and freshman Sadiq White Jr. ended up with 12 points and seven boards.

How the Game Was Decided
With just over two minutes remaining, the Orange trailed 67-63 before senior Nate Kingz drilled a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one. Senior William Kyle III then drew a foul with 56 seconds left and sank both free throws to give Syracuse a 68-67 advantage with 56 ticks remaining.

Hofstra answered with Plotnikov's clutch 3-pointer from the corner which put the Pride back ahead, 70-68, with 34 seconds left.

White Jr. drew a shooting foul and split a pair of free throws, trimming the lead to one with 18 seconds on the clock. The Orange forced a turnover moments later when the Pride failed to inbound the ball in time, giving Syracuse one final possession with 15 seconds remaining. Freshman Kiyan Anthony drove to the basket but couldn't convert the layup in traffic and the Pride secured the rebound to grab the victory.

Starling Jumpstarts the Scoring
Starling lit it up in the opening stages of the game, recording 12 of the Orange's first 15 points. He got the scoring started with a jumper on the first possession before draining a 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor.

The senior was 5-of-7 (.713) from the floor and 2-of-3 (.667) from three-point range in the first eight minutes. At one point, Starling had outscored the Pride alone to give the Orange a 15-12 edge.

First Half Tug Of War
The Orange and Pride traded leads following Starling's quick start. By the intermission, there 10 lead changes and the contest had been tied four times.

With Syracuse holding a narrow 15-14 lead at the 12-minute mark, both teams caught fire. Over the next four minutes, just one field goal was missed between the two squads as Hofstra shot 6-of-7 (.857) and Syracuse went 5-of-5 (1.000). The Orange maintained a one-point edge at 27-26, with Anthony pouring in seven points during the run.

Syracuse cooled off following the barrage, shooting just 3-of-12 (.250) over the final eight minutes of the half. White Jr. kept the Orange in front, though, contributing seven points to give Syracuse a 37-36 halftime lead. Starling paced all scorers with 13 points at the break.

Second Half Runs
A pair of 3-pointers from Kingz on Syracuse's first two possessions of the second half extended the Orange lead to 43-36.

Hofstra responded with a 21-6 run over the next six minutes to seize a 57-49 advantage. The Pride shot 8-of-11 (.727) during the stretch, with Cruz Davis tallying nine points. Syracuse managed just 3-of-8 (.375) shooting and committed three turnovers as Hofstra surged ahead.

The Orange cut the deficit to 59-55 before the Pride answered again. Davis and Preston Edmead knocked down 3-pointers on consecutive possessions and Victory Onuetu added a layup to cap an 8-2 run that pushed Hofstra's lead to 67-57.

Syracuse rallied once more with an 11-0 stretch. Kyle III converted a three-point play, Kingz drained a triple and Anthony chipped in three points to spark the comeback. Kyle III then drew a foul on a drive and sank both free throws to give Syracuse a 68-67 lead with 56 seconds remaining.

Hofstra had the final answer, though, as Plotnikov's corner 3-pointer finished the scoring.

Notable Numbers

The Orange played a very clean first half, turning the ball over just twice.
Kingz has hit one or more shots from beyond the arc in nine consecutive games.
Four different Syracuse players recorded a three in the opening 20 minutes, with Starling, Betsey, Kingz, and Anthony all making at least one from 3-point range.
Five players produced double-digit scoring for the Orange with Starling (15), Kyle III (13), White Jr. (12), Kingz (12), and Anthony (12) all reaching the threshold.
Kyle III logged four blocks, the third straight game he has had four or more.
Syracuse outrebounded the Pride 34-27, including a 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
There were 13 lead changes in the contest.

Up Next
The Orange will be back in action on Wednesday, December 17 when they take on Mercyhurst at the JMA Wireless Dome. The game is set to air on ACC Network and tip off at 7 p.m.

Syracuse Tickets
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow the team on X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (cuse_mbb).