With 9:46 remaining in the game, Syracuse was hanging on to a two-point lead over Pittsburgh. A free throw by Panthers' junior Jared Wilson-Frame made the score 37-35. The Orange had led for most of the contest but couldn't pull away – that is until junior Frank Howard sparked Syracuse on a decisive scoring run that ensured its 13th win of the season.
Syracuse responded with eight unanswered points to take a 45-35 lead at the 7:23 mark. Howard had five of the eight points during the scoring run on his way to a team-high 18.