Unheralded Syracuse guard sets new PNC Arena scoring records in win over Wolfpack

Syracuse guard John Gillon had one of the most efficient games you’ll ever see in Syracuse’s 100-93 overtime win over N.C. State on Wednesday.

The fifth-year guard needed only 13 shots to score 43 points. He went 9 of 10 from the 3-point line and 14 of 14 from the free-throw line. One N.C. State fan heckled the 6-0 guard throughout the game. The fan told him he was “too short for basketball.”

So when Gillon made a free-throw late in the game, he winked at the fan.

“He was hating too hard,” Gillon said. “He needed to sit down so I played with him a little bit.”

Gillon put his name on top of the PNC Arena record book while in the process of quieting his haters. His point total broke a 42-point effort by N.C. State’s T.J. Warren in a 2014 win over Boston College. Gillon also set a new arena record for 3-pointers. The Colorado State transfer broke Stephen Curry’s record of eight from Davidson’s first-round win over Gonzaga in the 2008 NCAA tournament.

Prior to Wednesday’s game, Gillon had hit 12, 3-pointers in nine games of ACC play. But Wednesday night, Gillon was better than good.

“Once I hit a few, I feel like I’m hot,” Gillon said.

Gillon said he first felt good at warm ups. Then when the game started, the Wolfpack left him open on a few shots. He said he started to heat up.

“They let me catch my groove and then,” he said pausing, “you saw the rest.”

Gillon’s biggest shot came when it mattered the most, in the final 10 seconds of the game. N.C. State forward Maverick Rowan had just hit a 3-pointer to put N.C. State up 87-84. The arena erupted but Gillon had the answer.

With 10 seconds left, Gillon dribbled the ball upcourt towards the left wing. He went around a screen from Syracuse guard Andrew White, which gave him just enough space for him to pull for the 3-pointer with just 1.8 seconds left on the clock.

Gillon’s shot went off the back side of the rim and went in.

“It just came down to Gillon making an incredible shot,” N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. “We switched, Maverick (Rowan) had two hands in the air, and the kid even looked a little off-balance to me, and makes a 3.”

When Syracuse was down 14 with 8 minutes left in the game, Gillon knocked down four 3-pointers in a span of three minutes to bring the Orange within two points.

Gillon’s scoring output was enough to help Syracuse offset a career-high 31 points from Rowan and triple-double by freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr.

“He was out of this world today,” Gottfried said. “He played amazing.”

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said he couldn’t recall an individual performance like Wednesday’s from Gillon.

“John has got it figured out,” Boeheim said. “It took him a while, but he is a good offensive player. That’s why we recruited him. He can shoot.”

This story was originally published February 2, 2017 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Unheralded Syracuse guard sets new PNC Arena scoring records in win over Wolfpack."