No. 23 NC State men’s basketball fell in a 75-72 nailbiter to a feisty Syracuse team on the road.

Going into its matchup at the JMA Wireless Dome, the Wolfpack (20-7, 10-6 ACC) certainly had little room for error as Syracuse (16-10, 9-6 ACC) has proven to be a consistently dangerous team. Throughout the night, the Orange forced the Pack into making many crucial mistakes. Despite a triple-double performance from graduate guard Jarkel Joiner, it was not enough to lift the Pack past the high-powered Orange.

From the tip, both teams seemed to have great difficulty in finding a groove. After the first two minutes, the score stood at a 5-2 Syracuse lead. This score held for the next two minutes as both teams entered a scoring drought. However, with the help of graduate forward DJ Burns, NC State began to establish a more formidable presence on offense. Burns accounted for the Pack’s first five points and was a huge factor in getting the team’s momentum going.

Soon after, Joiner began to heat up. He led the team in the first half with 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. He proceeded to help State begin an 11-0 run, creating some early distance against one of the best offensive teams in the conference.

With 9:27 left in the half, the Pack led 19-10. Despite being ahead, it was obvious that the Wolfpack was lacking something on offense. That largely revolved around the absence of sophomore guard Terquavion Smith. In the half, he only scored two points and missed all four shots from 3-point range. With the majority of the Pack’s offense only flowing through Burns and Joiner, Syracuse soon struck back and used a 7-0 run of its own to climb back into the game.

Throughout the remainder of the half, the two teams traded blows. The momentum of the game truly shifted against the Pack with 1:47 left in the half when Smith collected his third foul, putting him in very early foul trouble. The Orange took advantage of his absence, ultimately heading into the locker room leading 35-31.

Following the break, both teams played great defense to help prevent the other from creating much separation. In the first seven minutes of the half, the Pack scored 19 points, including six from Burns, who continued to carry much of the offensive load. However, a familiar sight came when he was charged with his fourth foul with 13:15 left in the half. He left the game and did not return to the floor until the final minutes of the contest.

Despite the absence of Burns, the Pack’s offense truly began to wake up as Smith began to find his way. With a quick pair of 3-pointers, it certainly looked like he was beginning to regain his confidence. He finished the half in with a stat line that starkly contrasted that of the first period, totaling 12 points, all on 3-point shots. Graduate guard Jack Clark also heated up with 11 points and seven rebounds of his own in the second half, a positive sign as he appears to provide another option for the Pack.

Despite Clark’s contributions, the Orange continued to fight back largely behind the efforts of center Jesse Edwards, who gave the Pack trouble all night and recorded a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds. 13 of those points came in the second half, which really helped to put pressure on the Wolfpack. After a late 3-pointer by Joiner to put the Pack ahead by three, Edwards and guard Judah Mintz worked together to put forth an 8-2 run and seal a three-point Orange win.

Over the course of the game, it took time for NC State to truly come to life. Despite initial struggles with shooting the ball, the team began to find its stride in the last 10 minutes of the first half. However, Syracuse matched the red-and-white’s intensity, forcing the Pack to work even harder all night to try to create any amount of separation.

Tonight was certainly a frustrating one for the Wolfpack, who usually heavily depends on the play of its guards. The Pack’s leading three guards — Smith, Joiner and senior Casey Morsell — went a combined 8-30 from beyond the arc, which certainly was not enough to defeat a team as dangerous as Syracuse.

The Pack will return home to face rival UNC on Sunday, Feb. 19 and kick off a three-game homestand. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN.