Syracuse Stuns #7 North Carolina

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- — Judah Mintz scored 25 points, including 16 in the second half, and JJ Starling had 13 of his 23 points in the second half as Syracuse stunned No. 7 North Carolina 86-79 on Tuesday night.

The raucous home crowd rushed the court to celebrate the program’s first win over a Top 10 team since a 95-91 overtime win over Duke in 2019.

The Orange shot 63% from the field and 47% from 3. The loss was North Carolina’s third in five games.

“This game, obviously, was the best game we’ve played all year,” said Syracuse first-year coach Adrian Autry. “Judah and JJ really stepped up big, but everybody who stepped on the court had a hand in the victory."

North Carolina (19-6, 11-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) missed its first 10 shots of the second half and fell behind 52-43 but rallied and took a 65-64 lead on a layup by RJ Davis with 7:16 to go. But the Orange (16-9, 7-7), which suffered a 103-67 loss at Chapel Hill last month, was not to be denied.

Starling hit a desperation 3-point bank shot to reclaim the Orange lead at 67-65 with under seven minutes to go. Mintz hit a layup, jumper and two foul shots to give the Orange a 73-67 margin, and Starling hit another 3 to give Syracuse a 76-69 lead following a Harrison Ingram jumper with under three to go.

Davis led North Carolina with 19 points. Cormac Ryan had 18, and Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram had 14 apiece.

This was the win Syracuse was looking for and gives the team momentum heading down the stretch.

Gone But Not Forgotten - Iconic Sioux Falls: Whiffer's Sandwiches

The Merriam-Webster definition of iconic is "widely recognized and well-established." That would definitely describe Whiffer's Sandwiches which used to call North Minnesota Avenue home.

The gone but not forgotten sandwich shop was located in an old house at 1133 North Minnesota Avenue. It served sandwiches to Sioux Falls from November 1978 until the summer of 2020.

Gallery Credit: Karla Brown