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BLACKSBURG, Va. — Synonymous with college basketball, March signals a time for teams to dig into their already established identity and execute at the highest level.

For Syracuse, it’s been a bumpy road to establishing its identity. On the cusp of its most losses in conference play ever, SU has stumbled to find who it is. The Orange’s win over NC State on Wednesday somewhat established they live or die with their paint presence. On the first day of their most important month, they were on the verge of cementing it.

Despite leading for nearly 35 minutes, Syracuse (12-17, 6-12 Atlantic Coast) fell to Virginia Tech (13-16, 8-10 Atlantic Coast) 101-95 Saturday in overtime. A heroic 3-point heave from Jaquan Carlos sent the game into the extra period, but the Orange couldn’t escape their late-game collapse. Despite a tied-for-season-high 47 first-half points, coupled with 28 points in the paint over the first 20 minutes, the Orange squandered a once 13-point second-half lead.

“We had a drought where we couldn’t score. And that’s where you need your defense,” SU head coach Adrian Autry said in dismay postgame. “That’s what we talk about. That happens; that’s when you need your defense. Once they got back into the game, it was back and forth. We just couldn’t get the stops.”

Autry had seen this story before. But allowing 84 points across the final 35 minutes of play — to a team that entered averaging just 69.0 points might top the list. Syracuse’s defense faltered when it mattered most, but Autry first pointed to the scoring drought.

Postgame, VT head coach Mike Young scratched his forehead with his left hand as he looked at his scoresheet to see SU center Eddie Lampkin Jr.’s splits: 14 points in the first half, two across the second and overtime.

“I can’t believe that. He’s such a presence,” Young said with added exuberance.

Lampkin’s offensive absence in the final 25 minutes was vital. Entering the contest, Syracuse lucked out with the Hokies missing leading scorer Tobi Lawal. The London, England, native was VT’s only scorer averaging double-digit points (12.5) through its 28 games. But he sat comfortably on the bench in a gray sweatsuit. With Lawal down, Young sported Mylyjael Poteat and Patrick Wessler to stifle Lampkin and Jyáre Davis. Early on, it didn’t work.

SU’s center produced a prolific 16.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per game over his last five. Against Virginia Tech, he continued the trend with six of Syracuse’s first eight points. Davis and Lampkin worked off of each other as the Orange turned in a prolific outing down low. At halftime, the duo, plus Naheem McLeod’s contributions off the bench, combined for 29 points to help the Orange out to a nine-point lead.

Then came SU’s latest chapter in a season of late-game losses.

“You got to keep your foot on their neck,” Carlos said. “You can’t hold up. You can’t let guys back in, especially when you’re on the road.”

The opening seconds of the second half appeared as a different basketball game. While the Orange turned the ball over just four times through the opening 20, Syracuse allowed a layup and then turned it over for two more Hokies points.

Autry saw the second-half run coming. At halftime, he told his team the only way Virginia Tech could climb back was if SU failed to take care of the ball and take good shots. Now, Autry was watching the opposite play out.

“From the beginning, they got right back into the game,” Autry said of VT’s second-half surge.

Rather than Lampkin maneuvering inside and being fed by Carlos and J.J. Starling — who totaled three points in the first half and 16 overall — the Orange became stagnant. Young said Poteat was limited due to a knee injury, so VT went with 6-foot-5 freshman Tyler Johnson on Davis and Wessler on Lampkin.

At times, they attempted to trap Lampkin, but he darted passes across the court for assists. The goal, Young said, was to keep him off balance and cut into the deficit. The Hokies did just that despite Davis elevating for a team-high 21.

Syracuse’s offensive lull consisted of an 18-5 VT run over a seven-minute span in the fourth. Its 13-point advantage diminished into zero. Lampkin couldn’t operate, and Starling was slowly finding a groove. But as the drought ensued, the Hokies exploited the Orange through Jaydon Young and Ben Hammond’s explosiveness. The pair couldn’t be stopped and tied the game at 70-70.

“Our defense just didn’t hold up,” Autry said. “And that’s why you stress having a good defensive team at the end to get some stops.”

Both sides wrestled back and forth with the lead over the final four minutes of regulation. Virginia Tech went up 81-77 with 13 seconds left, but the Orange didn’t surrender. Starling cashed in on a layup, and after a foul on Lucas Taylor, Jaden Schutt went one-of-two from the line to build a three-point lead. Then came one final chance for the Orange.

Out of a timeout, Davis inbounded to Carlos from their own end. Carlos raced down the right flank and saw Johnson was sagging off. He pulled up from deep range, drilling it to tie the game with one second remaining.

Syracuse ties it at 82-82. We’re going to overtime. pic.twitter.com/0jSKRWzdzH

— Aiden Stepansky (@AidenStepansky) March 1, 2025

Carlos’ heroics extended the game but not any momentum. SU took the first lead with a Davis and-one, but the Hokies couldn’t be stopped offensively. Their 19 points in overtime outlasted the Orange. The Hokies scored twice and sealed Syracuse’s fate through Jaydon’s game-high 26 and eight in the extra period.

Autry said the loss came down more to what they didn’t do as opposed to what VT did. He said it was a game that didn’t have a lot of defense, something the Orange have become accustomed to, even with a clear outlier against the Wolfpack a few days ago.

“You’ve got to keep fighting. Keep battling,” Autry said. “At the end of the day, we have something to play for.”

He’s right. The ACC has multiple teams in worse positions than SU, allowing it to almost certainly make the ACC Tournament. But with each loss, Autry has reiterated a similar sentiment: the Orange have fought, and they haven’t quit.

The Orange may have done all that in Blacksburg. One could argue they’ve done it all season. But maybe SU did prove its identity Saturday. No matter its first-half success or late heroics, it doesn’t know how to win in the closing moments.

Published on March 1, 2025 at 2:51 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky