Orange Fall to Pittsburgh in Overtime

Saturday, March 7

Syracuse, NY

4:30 PM

Syracuse University

15-16,6-12ACC

Pittsburgh

12-19,5-13ACC

OT 1

Pittsburgh

Syracuse

3/7/2026 7:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Adrian Autry Press Conference Highlights Photo Gallery

Naithan George scored a season-high 26 points but Syracuse (15-16, 6-12 ACC) fell to Pittsburgh (12-19, 5-13 ACC), 71-69, in overtime at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday evening.

Sophomore Donnie Freeman finished with a double-double, logging 18 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Nate Kingz also scored in double figures, posting 14 points on 5-of-8 (.625) shooting.

Cameron Corhen led the way for Pittsburgh with 21 points. Barry Dunning Jr. and Nojus Indrusaitis were close behind with 17 and 16 points, respectively. The Panthers earned a spot in the ACC Tournament with the victory.

How the Game Was Decided
The Orange and Panthers exchanged baskets on the opening possessions of overtime, with George and Freeman each getting on the board for Syracuse, keeping it tied at 69-69 with 2:37 to go.

After a Syracuse turnover, the Panthers pushed the ball down the floor and Damarco Minor drew a foul but missed both attempts from the line. The Orange couldn't capitalize on the other end with sophomore Tyler Betsey missing a fadeaway jumper, keeping the game tied with 1:12 showing on the clock.

Minor missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, and Freeman's attempt on the other end was off the mark as well, giving Pittsburgh the ball back with 10 seconds remaining. Out of a timeout, Indrusaitis drove to the basket and scored on a goaltending call, pushing the Panthers' ahead to 71-69 with four seconds to play.

George threw up a last-chance, half-court heave, but the shot missed.

Kyle III Keeps Syracuse Within Striking Distance
Kyle III led the Orange in the early stages, scoring six of the first nine points for Syracuse. All three of his baskets were dunks. Kingz added a 3-pointer to round out the Orange's scoring in the first seven minutes.

The Orange had a slow start shooting the ball, starting 4-of-13 (.308) from the field and 1-of-6 (.167) from 3-point range. The Panthers connected on a pair of 3-pointers to help them take an early 16-9 lead after seven minutes. Pittsburgh outrebounded Syracuse 11-5 during the stretch.

Orange Use Late First Half Surge to Take Lead to the Half
Syracuse's defense earned a near four-minute scoring drought from the Panthers, and the Orange went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 20-19. George and Freeman each posted four points.

The Panthers offense snapped the skid, scoring a pair of layups to extend their lead until George drilled a deep 3-pointer to bring the score to 24-22. Freeman hit a one-and-one at the free-throw line the next time down to knot the game up at 24-24 with 4:43 to go.

Syracuse closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 31-28 edge into the break. George led the Orange with 12 points with two made 3-pointers in the first half. Freeman was close behind with eight points.

Pittsburgh Pulls Ahead Early in the Second Half
The Orange got out to a sluggish start in the second half, shooting 2-of-12 (.125) over the first six-and-a-half minutes of the half.

Syracuse went four minutes without scoring, and the Panthers capitalized, tallying 12 unanswered points to take a 45-35 lead with just under 13 minutes left in the game. The Panthers shot 4-of-5 (.800) from the field and made three free throws to power the run.

Orange Storm Back
The Orange leaned on George and Freeman to orchestrate a furious comeback. George knocked down a 3-pointer before Freeman made a second-chance tip-in layup to bring the Orange within seven points at 49-42.

George then knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the contest just over a minute after his third. Freeman finished off the streak with a layup, cutting the lead to 49-47 with just under eight minutes on the clock. .

Pittsburgh snapped the streak with a 3-pointer from Indrusaitis, but a pair of Freeman free throws and a corner 3-pointer from Betsey tied the game at 52-52 with 6:04 to go.

Crunch Time in Regulation
The Orange and Panthers exchanged 3-pointers in the late stages of the second half and found themselves tied up at 55-55, and then again at 61-61 with 2:49 remaining in regulation.

A Kingz layup gave Syracuse a 63-61 lead, but Pittsburgh responded with a free throw from Indrusaitis and a 3-pointer from Dunning Jr. to take a 65-63 edge with 1:08 remaining. The Orange answered with a pair of free throws from Freeman to tie it back up at 65 and neither team scored over the final minute as the two headed to overtime.

Notable Numbers

Syracuse played without freshman Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White Jr., who were injured the previous game with Louisville.
The Orange finished 16-of-17 (.941) from the free-throw line, its highest percentage in a game this season.
Syracuse held Pittsburgh to 6-of-28 (.231) on shots from 3-point range.
William Kyle III had four blocks in the encounter.
Freeman recorded a career-high four offensive rebounds.
George posted his 26^th performance with a steal.
Kyle III had three blocks in a game for the 16^th time this season.
Pittsburgh won the rebound battle, 39-34.
The Panthers scored 12 second chance points on 11 offensive rebounds.

Senior Day
Syracuse honored its seniors during a pregame ceremony at the final regular-season contest of the 2025-26 campaign. Guards Nate Kingz, J.J. Starling and Bryce Zyphir, and center William Kyle III, were recognized.

Up Next
The Orange head to Charlotte, North Carolina for the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament. Syracuse will be the No. 14 seed and play at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday against No. 11 seed SMU.