SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) Elijah Hughes and Marek Dolezaj each scored 20 points and Syracuse erased a 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Georgia Tech 79-72 on Saturday.
Dolezaj scored 16 of his points in the second half, and the Orange (15-12, 8-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) outscored the Yellow Jackets (13-14, 7-9) 52-34 in the final 20 minutes.
Joe Girard chipped in with 15 points, 12 in the second half, and Buddy Boeheim added 13 for the Orange, who snapped a three-game skid. Bourama Sidibe had 10 rebounds before fouling out.
Moses Wright scored a career-high 33 points on 14-of-17 shooting, all from inside the paint, and had 10 rebounds for Georgia Tech. Michael Devoe added 11 points.
Syracuse shot 64% in the second half on 16-of-25 shooting after going 7 of 26 in the first half.
Sparked by eight points from Girard, Syracuse went on a 12-2 run to start the second half, closing to 40-39 on a jumper by Boeheim with 15:49 left. Dolezaj’s jumper off glass made it 51-49 Georgia Tech with 10:31 to go.
Hughes hit 1 of 2 free throws, giving Syracuse a 52-51 margin with 9:15 left in regulation for its first lead since 4-2. A lay-in by Girard extended Syracuse’s margin to three and Syracuse took its largest lead of the half up to that point, 68-62, on a lay-in by Dolezaj with 4:53 left.
Two foul shots by Hughes gave Syracuse its largest lead, 72-62 with 1:22 to go.
Wright dominated inside in the first half, scoring 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting, all from inside the paint. In the half, the Yellow Jackets hit 13 of 27 and 4 of 9 from beyond the arc. Georgia Tech outscored the Orange 18-8 in the paint and held a 38-27 lead at the break.
Syracuse was ice-cold in the first half, going just 7 of 26 from the field and 3 of 8 from 3. The Orange missed 10 straight field goal attempts and 1 of 14 during one stretch. Hughes led Syracuse with 10 points in the first 20 minutes but was just 2 for 8 from the field.
Dolezaj and Quincy Guerrier picked up three fouls each in the half as Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim used a myriad of lineups to inject some life in his team.
Syracuse had a 4-2 lead when the Yellow Jackets went on a 15-5 run to take control in the half.
BIG PICTURE
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets let this game slip away and begins a three-game home stand to salvage its season.
Syracuse: The Orange showed a lot of heart in its comeback. Playing for nothing much more than pride, Syracuse played with energy and purpose in the second half.
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech begins a three-game home stand Tuesday against Clemson.
Syracuse goes on the road Wednesday for a matchup against long-time former Big East rival Pittsburgh.
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