Daivien Williamson drained a 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left as Wake Forest topped Syracuse 77-74 on Wednesday in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C.
It marked Jim Boeheim’s final game as Orange coach, as the school announced shortly after the loss that the longtime coach would not return. Boeheim was in charge at Syracuse for 47 seasons.
The ninth-seeded Demon Deacons avenged a loss to the eighth-seeded Orange in the regular-season finale last Saturday and advanced to face top-seeded Miami in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Syracuse’s Joe Girard III missed a tough jumper with seven seconds left and Wake Forest pushed the ball up the court. Tyree Appleby kicked the ball to the right wing to Williamson, whose shot hit nothing but net.
Williamson’s fourth 3-pointer gave him 17 points, tied for team-high honors with Bobi Klintman. Cameron Hildreth and Appleby each chipped in 15 points, Appleby dished out 12 assists and Klintman grabbed a team-high 11 boards.
Benny Williams and Judah Mintz paced the Orange with 18 points apiece. Williams also grabbed 11 rebounds and contributed five steals.
Syracuse center Jesse Edwards, who torched Wake Forest for 27 points and 20 rebounds on Saturday, was limited to 12 points and 10 rebounds in this one.
Syracuse led 22-10 midway through the first half before Wake Forest rallied to draw even at 29-29. Mintz scored two buckets in the final two minutes of the half to help the Orange lead 35-33 at intermission.
Edwards’ three-point play early in the second half gave Syracuse a 41-37 lead, but Wake Forest then uncorked a 19-2 run to open up a 13-point advantage. Williamson made two 3-pointers and Appleby added one of his own during the surge.
With about 10 1/2 minutes remaining, the Orange began their comeback.
Mintz hit a 3-pointer to start the run, and Syracuse trailed 58-57 after Girard swished a long-range shot with eight minutes to play.
The Orange eventually forged a 60-60 tie, but 3-pointers by Klintman and Hildreth kept the Demon Deacons in front over the next several minutes.
Williams’ 3-pointer from the top of the key gave Syracuse a 74-72 lead with 59.5 seconds left. But Hildreth responded with a spinning jumper from the paint to create a tie with 36.2 seconds to go, setting up the exciting finish.
–Field Level Media
