Orange rally from 16 down to get win

Big scoring days from Guerrier, Griffin help Orange overcome start

Quincy Guerrier scored a career-high 27 points with 11 rebounds, Alan Griffin tied a career-high 24 points with 10 rebounds, and Syracuse beat Buffalo 107-96 in overtime Saturday night.

Griffin’s basket 15 seconds into overtime gave Syracuse

(6-1) the lead for good. The Orange outscored Buffalo 20-9 in the extra session.

Buffalo (3-3) took a 19-17 lead with 13:28 remaining in the first half and led for most of the contest. The Bulls led 48-37 at halftime and got the lead as high as 57-41 on Jayvon Graves’ layup with 16:34 left before the Orange rallied.

Guerrier’s three-point play with 76 seconds left in regulation gave the Orange an 8582 lead.

Ronaldo Segu’s deep 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in regulation tied it at 87 for Buffalo. Following a Syracuse timeout, Josh Mballa stole it from the Orange’s Marek Dolezaj and threw an outlet pass to a streaking Graves, who eluded one defender before having his layup attempt blocked off the backboard by a high-flying Griffin trailing the play.

Guerrier recovered the ball for Syracuse and got a clean look from half court, but missed as time expired to send it to the extra session.

Buddy Boeheim added 22 points for Syracuse. It was the first time that the Orange had three or more players score 20 or more since the six-overtime game against Connecticut in the 2009 Big East Tournament.

Glens Falls graduate Joseph Girard III played 16 minutes and had two points and two assists for Syracuse.

Mballa led Buffalo with a career-high 27 points.

Rich Barnes / USA TODAY Sports Alan Griffin shoots the ball as Buffalo’s Jayvon Graves defends Saturday. Griffin tied his career high with 24 points and added 10 rebounds as the Orange came back from a 57-41 deficit with 16:34 left in regulation to pick up the victory.