SYRACUSE — Judah Mintz scored 20 points and Syracuse knocked off No. 23 North Carolina State 75-72 on Tuesday night.

With the score tied at 70 with two minutes to go, Jesse Edwards finished strong at the rim, plus the foul, to give the Orange a three-point lead. Syracuse would then use a mixture of defensive pressure and clutch free-throw shooting to hold on for the victory.

Edwards finished with 18 points for Syracuse (16-10, 9-6 ACC), which also got 11 from Chris Bell, 10 from Malik Brown and 14 from Joe Girard III.

D.J. Burns Jr. and Jarkel Joiner each scored 15 points for the Wolfpack (20-7, 10-6), who were coming off a 92-62 victory at Boston College on Saturday.

NC State’s backcourt of Terquavion Smith and Joiner entered Tuesday’s game as the highest-scoring duo in the ACC. Together they were averaging 34.7 points per game. Smith, who scored his 1,000th-career point against Boston College, finished Tuesday’s game with 14 points.

Syracuse’s advantage came at the charity stripe. They were 16-for-17, while the Wolfpack shot just 3-for-5.

The Wolfpack were the fifth ranked opponent the Orange had faced this season. Syracuse had not beaten a ranked team until Tuesday night.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

Edwards, Syracuse’s 6-foot-11 center, was perfect from 3 after making his first career triple with the shot clock winding down early in the second half. It was his first attempt in four seasons with the Orange.

UP NEXT

NC State: Hosting North Carolina on Sunday

Syracuse: Hosting Duke at 6 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN.