TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  — Syracuse (14-11, 7-7 Atlantic Coast) dropped its fourth in five games Saturday afternoon in the Donald. L Tucker Center, 80-77, to No. 8 Florida State (21-4, 11-3). 

Orange leading-scorer Elijah Hughes (18.6 ppg) played after injuring his groin before the  North Carolina State game, tallying 25 points. A close first half was met with a closer second, and SU now has one regular season game left for a marquee win. 

Here are superlatives from the game:

The Big Moment: Patrick Williams’ late bucket 

Florida State led by one with 30 seconds left. Hughes had just driven inside and kissed a free layup off glass, and SU didn’t foul afterward. 

The ball settled to Williams, who finished with 17 points. The freshman forward lowered his shoulder, charging inside and finding space. He moved the ball to his right hand and tossed one off the glass and in. It was the dagger, and Hughes’ rimmed-out-3 as time expired gave SU its second-straight loss. 

Stud: Joe Girard III

Girard followed up one career-best with another. Four days after scoring 30 against the Wolfpack, he finished with 22 points, seven boards and five assists. He was ball-dominant as Hughes readjusted and committed just one turnover despite FSU’s full-court press. He also triggered fast breaks before FSU’s defense could settle. 

In the second half, Girard hit a 3 after two quick passes to give the Orange its first lead since the opening minutes. After the swish, he turned and stared at the crowd. 

Dud: Buddy’s poor shooting 

Buddy Boeheim’s poor shooting stroke followed him from central New York to Florida. He didn’t make a single 3 against the Seminoles after posting 10 points against NC State, going 2-for-8 from deep. In his last two games, Buddy’s shot a combined two-for-14 from deep. On Saturday, Buddy was held scoreless for the first time since last year. 

He didn’t drive inside as often as he has this season, mainly attempting from behind the arc. SU managed one clean fast break 3-point chance for Buddy early in the second half, but he clanged that off iron. Buddy hadn’t missed a regulation minute in a month (Jan . 15 against Boston College) but was subbed off for Brycen Goodine midway through the second half. Brycen Goodine didn’t score off the bench, and SU’s offensive production was carried by Hughes and Girard. 

Highlight: Dolezaj’s finish

In the first half, Marek Dolezaj snagged a long rebound in front of the Florida State bench. The trap came, and Dolezaj turned the corner. He sped around two white jerseys, stepped through a third and finished with his right hand. In the crowd, someone gasped and yelled, “Oh! Nice move.” The Orange bench rose as Dolezaj crossed half court. 

Lowlight: Missed dunks for Hughes

SportsCenter almost featured Hughes tonight. In the first half, Hughes darted baseline and called for a pass. Girard fed him from the wing, and Hughes reached one arm back for a tomahawk slam. But an FSU defender whacked Hughes’ arm. The redshirt junior split the pair at the line, but the momentum stayed with the Seminoles. 

A few possessions later, Hughes almost tipped a pass near the wing for a breakaway chance. But the ball ricocheted and ended in the hands of an FSU player. As Buddy pressured the inbound, tipping it to himself for a steal, he threw a one-handed pass to Hughes. As the junior flushed a one-handed jam, the Florida State crowd cheered. The referee had blown his whistle, calling Buddy out of bounds. No basket. SU fought for the majority of the game and strug together defensive stops to keep the margin close. But the missed dunks were opportunities wasted.

Published on February 15, 2020 at 2:27 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez