Trevor Lacey scored 19 points and North Carolina State beat Syracuse 71-57 on Saturday, ending the season for Jim Boeheim's Orange a day after the NCAA hit the program with sanctions for numerous violations.
Ralston Turner also scored 19 for the Wolfpack (19-12, 10-8 Atlantic Coast Conference), who ran off 16 straight points spanning halftime as part of a huge game-turning run that put the Orange (18-13, 9-9) on their heels.
NC State dominated the second half to turn a one-point halftime lead into a 19-point bulge with about 10 minutes left — a sometimes-dominating show for a team determined to shore up its looking-good NCAA tournament standing.
By the end, the Wolfpack had its fourth win against a Hall of Fame coach this season — though this one came against a beleaguered coach whose program won't play in the postseason as a self-imposed penalty amid the long-running NCAA case.
On Friday, the NCAA wrapped things up by hitting Syracuse with penalties for academic, drug and gifts violations committed primarily by the men's basketball team. While the school faces financial penalties, scholarship reductions and five years of probation, possibly the biggest penalty was saved for Boeheim himself — a nine-game suspension for next season to be served during ACC games.
Afterward, Boeheim was nowhere to be found, skipping the postgame news conference and sending assistant coach Mike Hopkins in his place. Hopkins said Boeheim didn't want to have to repeatedly decline comment to questions, and Boeheim instead issued a statement — handed out as Hopkins entered the room — saying he would "more fully comment on NCAA issues" in the future.
"I want to make sure today, as we play our last game and are together for the last time as (a) team, that the focus is on our players, and all they have done to make our university proud," Boeheim said. "This should be the focus this afternoon and nothing else."
Many NC State fans stopped their "Wolf! Pack!" chant during Syracuse's starting lineups long enough to strongly boo Boeheim when he was introduced. Others sang the chorus from the Village People's song "YMCA" during Syracuse's early possessions as a reference to some of the violations outlined in the NCAA's report that were connected to a local YMCA.
Another fan held up a sign: "Jim, will play for grades."
Syracuse was in the game early and led 25-17 late in the first half, but NC State took control by scoring the final nine points before the break. The run continued into the second half, with Anthony "Cat" Barber pushing the ball in transition and speeding up the tempo as the Wolfpack went on a 27-2 run.
Barber scored twice in a row, then the Wolfpack scored on a beautiful share-the-ball play with Barber penetrating and kicking to Caleb Martin, who whipped a quick pass to Turner in the corner for a 3 and NC State's largest lead at 55-36 near the 10-minute mark.
The Orange — who looked two steps slow during the Wolfpack's romping stretch — got no closer than nine points late, with Turner burying two straight 3's in the final 3½ minutes that essentially sealed the win.
Tyler Roberson had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead Syracuse, which shot 31 percent.
TIP-INS
Syracuse: Rakeem Christmas finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. ... The Orange missed 14 of 18 3-pointers.
NC State: NC State's other wins against Hall of Famers this year came against Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Louisville's Rick Pitino and North Carolina's Roy Williams. ... Barber had 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
UP NEXT
Syracuse: Season is over.
NC State: As the seventh seed, plays No. 10 seed Pittsburgh Wednesday in the ACC tournament in Greensboro, NC.
