Syracuse, NY – A go-ahead three-pointer by German Plotnikov with 34 seconds left in regulation helped lift the Hofstra men's basketball team to a thrilling 70-69 upset win over Syracuse from the JMA Wireless Dome.
 
Hofstra improves to 8-4 with the win, while the Orange fall to 6-4 on the season. This is Hofstra's second win over an ACC opponent in a week, after the Pride defeated Pittsburgh on December 7.
 
Plotnikov finished the game with nine points, two rebounds, and three steals. Cruz Davis paced the Pride with 22 points on 8-14 shooting, plus 2-2 from beyond the arc, and a career-high nine assists against the Orange. Preston Edmead chipped in with 12 points for the Pride on 4-9 shooting, including 4-6 on threes, and Victory Onuetu set a new career-high with four blocks to go with his six points.
 
The opening five minutes featured six lead changes by the first media timeout at the 14:56 mark, with the Pride ahead 10-8 after an Onuetu dunk. Syracuse retook the lead with a three out of the break, and they pushed the lead to three with a layup at 13:57. The Syracuse lead never grew past three, as the Pride countered every Syracuse basket with points of their own until 11:17 with a three-pointer by Tyler Betsey after a Silas Sunday layup. Kiyan Anthony sunk a three at 9:27 to up the lead to five, but threes by Jaeden Roberts at 8:34 and Plotnikov at 5:39 tied the score at 29-29. Another Roberts three at 3:16 after a Syracuse free throw gave Hofstra a two-point edge, but a 4-0 spurt helped Syracuse retake the lead with 2:14 left in the half. The half ended with another four lead changes before the buzzer sounded, with the Orange hanging on to a 37-36 lead.
 
Syracuse scored back-to-back threes to open the second half, upping the home side's lead to seven. Starting with a pair of Davis free throws at 16:08, Hofstra retook the lead with a 12-2, capped off with a Plotnikov three at the 10:32 mark to give the Pride an eight-point lead. The Orange halved the lead with twos on consecutive possessions before two Biggie Patterson free throws put the score at 59-53 with 7:41 left in regulation. After a Syracuse made layup put the difference at four following Patterson's free throws, Hofstra scored eight of the next 10 points to grow its lead to 10 – the biggest of the night for either side – with under five minutes left on the clock. After Onuetu's layup at 4:34, Syracuse scored the next 11 points over a span of three minutes and 20 seconds to lead by one with 54 seconds left. With possession of the ball and time winding down, Cruz drove at the basket before passing off to a wide-open Plotnikov in the far corner, and Plotnikov hit nothing but net to give the Pride a two-point lead. A made free throw with 18 seconds left put the score at 70-69, and Syracuse had a chance to take the lead on a layup attempt by Anthony with three seconds left, but Onuetu swatted away the attempt to seal the win.
 
JJ Starling led Syracuse with 15 points, followed by 13 points from William Kyle III, and Sadiq White Jr. pulled down a team-best seven rebounds.
 
Hofstra closes out its non-conference schedule on Sunday, December 21, with a home contest against Quinnipiac at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at HofstraTickets.com or by calling the Hofstra Athletics Box Office at 516-HOF-TIXX. 
 
NOTES:
-This was Hofstra's first win in four meetings against Syracuse.
-Davis played in all 40 minutes against the Orange.
-Hofstra earned its seventh win in program history over an ACC opponent.
-Hofstra went a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line.