Darren Harris scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half — including three free throws with 1:14 left to snap the game’s 11th tie — to lead Indiana to an 83-80 nonconference victory over Syracuse on Monday night in Indianapolis.
Markus Burton contributed 20 points and Jaeden Mustaf added 18 for the Hoosiers (3-0), who snapped a six-game losing streak against Syracuse since winning their matchup in the 1987 NCAA Tournament championship game. Bryce Lindsay chipped in 11 points in reserve while Samet Yigitoglu posted eight points and 10 rebounds.
Freshman point guard Ryan Moesch came off the bench to pace Syracuse (2-1) with 19 points and six assists. Kiyan Anthony added 16 points off the bench, but he missed a game-tying 30-footer as time ran out. Sadiq White Jr. posted 13 points, including a basket with 4 seconds left for the game’s final score.
The lead changed hands 13 times in a game between two former longtime powers trying to end multiyear absences from the NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse carried a 38-34 lead into halftime on the strength of 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point range, but Harris came out of the halftime locker room on fire.
The Duke transfer drilled a 3-pointer from the corner on the second half’s opening possession, got fouled from the same spot and sank three free throws on Indiana’s next possession and then swiped a pass and took it the distance for a dunk.
Harris’ personal 8-0 run in a 69-second span gave the Hoosiers a 42-38 lead.
It took the Orange eight minutes to catch up, but 6-foot freshman Moesch completed a layup over the 7-2 Yigitoglu for a three-point play that pulled Syracuse into a 54-54 knot with 10:43 to play.
Harris delivered a 3-pointer — his first basket since his early second-half spree — to hand Indiana a 59-56 lead, but Moesch fed Luke Wilson for an alley-oop layup and then drilled a 3-pointer over Yigitoglu to give Syracuse a 61-59 edge with 8:07 to play.
The Orange extended their lead to 66-61 before the Hoosiers’ shooters stepped forward. Burton and Mustaf canned back-to-back 3-pointers. Lindsay sank two free throws to regain a 69-68 edge with 4:10 to play.
Harris erased the game’s final tie when he was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:14 left and sank all three free throws to give IU a 77-74 lead.
Lindsay made two foul shots with 12 seconds left for an 83-78 advantage for the Hoosiers.