The North Carolina men's basketball team (15-11, 8-6 ACC) won its first road game in over a month with an 88-82 win against Syracuse (11-15, 5-10 ACC) on Saturday night at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Two storied programs desperately looking for a win. That was the atmosphere on a snowy night in upstate New York. UNC, projected as “first four out” of the NCAA Tournament by Joe Lunardi, emerged victorious in a must-win game for the team's tourney hopes.
The Tar Heels started 1-8 from the field in the first four minutes. After two games without a field goal, first-year guard Ian Jackson entered after the under-16 media timeout and immediately splashed a three. A couple of possessions later, Jackson struck again with a scoop-and-score dunk.
Junior forward Jalen Washington hit a three from the top of the arc, just his second of the year. UNC led, 15-10, ten minutes in.
The thorn in the side for the Tar Heels was their turnovers. Sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau recorded his third turnover within 12 minutes, marking his 18th game this season with three or more turnovers.
Jackson was the saving grace. A step-back three from the corner at the 4:25 mark of the first half brought his total to 13 of UNC’s 31 points.
After the first half, North Carolina led, 42-34. The Tar Heels, 271st in the nation in three-point percentage at 32.3 percent, went 7-15 in the first half. Jackson had 16 points.
The first four minutes of the second half were a stark contrast from the start of the game. UNC scored 11 points as graduate forward Jae’Lyn Withers hit two 3-pointers to continue the Tar Heel barrage, pushing the lead to 53-45.
Syracuse's 6-foot-11 center, Eddie Lampkin Jr., continued to make the small Tar Heel frontcourt pay as he dunked down his 14th point five minutes into the second half. He finished with 26 points.
