West Virginia has a recent history of struggling against the Syracuse Orange, and Sunday’s second round matchup was no exception.

Sean McNeil was the catalyst for a late Mountaineer run, scoring 17 second-half points, but No. 3 West Virginia was unable to topple No. 11 Syracuse, falling 75-72.

West Virginia opened up struggling, going 0-for-5 from the field as Syracuse surged ahead to a 6-0 lead. The Orange were propelled by their long-range game as their first five makes from the field were from behind the 3-point line.

Syracuse’s 2-3 zone gave the Mountaineer offense fits early on as West Virginia failed to make the most of its offensive possessions.

Derek Culver, who struggled in the first half of Friday’s game against Morehead State, continued his early woes, going 1-of-7 from the field in the first half. Further, the team went 9-of-28 (32%) from the field, including 4-of-9 (44%) from the 3-point line in the first half.

WVU’s Emmitt Matthews Jr. sank two free throws to close the half, entering the break with Syracuse in possession of a 35-29 lead.

Despite the break, halftime did little to change the productivity of either team, at least initially.

It wasn’t until WVU forward Jalen Bridges sank a mid-range jump shot five minutes into the second half that things began to turn in favor of the Mountaineers. The basket kicked off a 7-0 scoring run, trimming Syracuse’s lead to four points and forcing a timeout from the Orange.

After Buddy Boeheim knocked down two consecutive 3-pointers for Syracuse, WVU’s Sean McNeil countered with three of his own, giving the Mountaineers their first lead of the game.

The two teams continued to trade blows and stay close to each other.

Ultimately, Boeheim, who entered the half with three points, went on a tear, scoring 22 second-half points. His presence was too much for WVU to counter, and Syracuse emerged with the 75-72 win.

Over the game, West Virginia did little to stymie the Syracuse offense as four different members of the Orange scored in double figures. Boeheim was one of them.

The Mountaineers had three scorers finish in double digits including McNeil, who finished with 23 points — leading the team.

Up Next: West Virginia’s season is over.

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