Syracuse, N.Y. ― On a wild and crazy night at the JMA Wireless Dome, a night that included a power surge taking out some scoreboards and darkening the dome, the Syracuse Orange outlasted California for a 107-100 double-overtime win on Wednesday.
Syracuse had chances to win in both regulation and the first overtime but missed critical free throws and committed some costly turnovers.
In the second extra period, though, Syracuse made seven of its 10 free throws and got a huge 3-pointer from Nate Kingz.
Syracuse, which had been 0-2 in overtime games this season, improved to 14-11 overall and 5-7 in the ACC.
California fell to 17-8 for the year and 5-7 in the conference.
Syracuse went into the second overtime 18-for-32 at the free throw line. Syracuse came into the game ranked 363rd in the nation in free throw percentage and it looked like the Orange’s Achilles heel might trip them up again.
But SU outscored Cal 16 to 9 in the second overtime.
In addition to Kingz’ big 3-pointer, Donnie Freeman scored twice in the second extra period. Both of Freeman’s baskets came at the rim. He had started the game 1-for-5 on 3-pointers, but he finally attacked the basket and got rewarded. He finished with 16 points.
Kingz led the Orange with 27 points, while JJ Starling added 21.
Syracuse center William Kyle played a key role in the win. He finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds, including seven offensive boards that either extended an SU possession or led to easy putbacks for Kyle.
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Syracuse Orange Basketball 2025-26: Syracuse vs. California
In addition to his second OT 3, Kingz had a big play in the first overtime period.
Syracuse trailed 87-84 with 1:20 left in the first overtime, but Kingz converted a traditional 3-point play on a spinning drive and then the free throw.
The free throw was key as Syracuse had been 15-for-27 at the line up to that point.
After forcing Cal’s Dai Dai Ames into a missed drive to the basket, Syracuse pushed the ball back upcourt with Starling going right to the rack for the bucket and an 89-87 lead.
Ames missed a potential game-tying drive and Syracuse got the ball with 20 seconds remaining.
Cal fouled Naithan George with 18.7 left. George made the first, but missed the second, leaving Cal just three points behind.
Ames took advantage of George’s miss, drilling a shot from the corner with 9.5 seconds left. However, Ames was just inside the 3-point line, so his shot merely narrowed the margin to 90-89.
On SU’s inbounds play, Cal immediately fouled Nate Kingz. Kingz missed the first free throw and then made the second for a 91-89 lead.
Ames missed a jumper, but Cal center Milos Ilic got the rebound and converted a basket as the buzzer sounded, sending the game into a second overtime.
Kingz had another big play in the final seconds of regulation.
Syracuse had been struggling from 3-point range all night when Kingz drove under the basket and whipped the ball out to a wide open George, who drilled the 3-pointer for a 78-76 lead with 57 seconds remaining.
Syracuse had the ball with the score tied at 78 and less than 30 seconds left, but Starling picked up his dribble above the key and then traveled, giving Cal the ball with 22 seconds remaining.
Cal, however, couldn’t get a decent shot either. Ames drove to the basket, got stuck with Starling defending him and after searching for an outlet, finally took a turnaround jumper at the buzzer. The shot came up short, forcing the overtime.
The game featured some excitement with a bevy of lobs and dunks, but the play was often as ragged as a pickup game on your neighborhood’s outdoor court.
Chris Bell, the former Syracuse forward, three years at Syracuse before transferring to California last spring, scored 18 points for the Bears.
The first half ended with the teams tied at 35 and also one amazing stat.
California had gone 5-for-10 on 3-pointers in the first half, while Syracuse had made only three of its 16 attempts from the arc.
Despite the disparity, the two teams were never separated by more than six points in the half.
While Syracuse had little success from long range, the Orange got great looks at the basket inside the 3-point line. Syracuse made 11 of its 15 shots inside the 3-point arc.
Kingz scored 11 points in the half. The outlier for Syracuse was Donnie Freeman. The 6-9 forward managed just three points in the opening half. He took all of his shots from 3-point range, going 1-for-4.
In the second half, Syracuse flipped a 47-44 deficit into a 52-47 lead with an 8-0 run. Four different SU players scored during the rally. It was the Orange’s first lead since leading 23-21 midway through the first half.
