SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Jordan Burns scored 12 points and
Nelly Cummings added 10 but a strong second half led Syracuse past Colgate 70-54 Wednesday night at the Carrier Dome.
Burns led Colgate with four 3-pointers.
Rapolas Ivanauskas finished with nine rebounds and dished out six assists, while
Will Rayman hauled in eight boards and posted five points.
It was a tough night shooting but Colgate came out strong with treys from
Tucker Richardson, Rayman, and
Jack Ferguson coasting the Raiders out front 9-1 six minutes in. Syracuse started 0-for-8 from the field but connected on four of its next five, including a pair of 3-pointers from Buddy Boeheim that tied the game 11-11 at the 11-minute mark.
A nice dish from Ferguson led to an easy bucket for Rayman inside and
David Maynard followed with his first of two 3-pointers to give Colgate an 18-17 lead. Syracuse responded with seven unanswered points – five straight Elijah Hughes – to go up 24-18 before back-to-back 3-pointers from Cummings and Burns tied the game at 24-24 with four minutes left in the half. The Orange, however, closed on a 7-1 spurt to hold a 31-25 lead at the half.
Colgate (1-2) missed its first four shots of the second half, allowing Syracuse to extend its lead to double digits on a 3-pointer by Joseph Girard III four minutes into the frame. After Richardson netted a trey to cut the deficit to seven, Colgate over the next six minutes fell into an 0-for-8 cold spell with five turnovers, and Syracuse flipped that into a 51-31 lead.
Syracuse (1-1) stayed in control the rest of the way, extending its lead to as many as 24 on a 3-pointer from Boeheim, who finished with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Burns drained three of his four treys over a four-minute span down the stretch.
Keegan Records and
Zach Light scored their first points of the season late but Syracuse closed out the 70-54 triumph.
BOTTOM LINE
Syracuse 70, Colgate 54
QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the game:
"Obviously we can't practice against the size, length, and athleticism that Clemson and Syracuse have. How much we've turned the ball over these last two games is proof of that. The reality is that not many teams play zone against us, so we have to focus our practices on what we are going to see most of the year. Guys like Elijah Hughes, Buddy Boheim, and Girard are all good shooters. Two days to prepare played a factor tonight as well. Wrap all of that up and that's the difference tonight."
On the Carrier Dome atmosphere:
"It was certainly a compliment to our program and our players that there was more maroon in the stands and more people were excited about this game tonight than maybe ever before. But that's external; what we have been focusing on is internal expectations, execution, and the day-to-day process."
On the tough shooting night:
"Our shots just did not go in at times tonight. We like our 3-point shooting and we are going to take 3-point shots, but to keep ourselves competitive and stay in the hunt tonight, we had to step up and make a few more than we did. What we are working on is the mindset involved when you don't make them. When it goes in, everybody feels great. But when it doesn't, everyone has another job to do and we all have to be focused in."
On Auburn Monday:
"Auburn is coming off more success than each of the three teams we have played so far. We will try to prepare like crazy for the game, but at this point in the year we have to stay focused on ourselves and getting better on a day-to-day basis."
GAME NOTES
- Ivanauskas' six assists were a career high.
- Light, Records, and Maynard scored their first points of the season.
- Maynard, who missed all of last season, finished 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
- Freshman Ryan Moffatt saw a season-high 12 minutes.
- Colgate's 14 assists and six steals were both season highs.
- Six different Raiders recorded a 3-pointer in Colgate's season-high 13.
- Colgate finished with four blocked shots, led by Ivanauskas with two.
UP NEXT
Colgate stays on the road to take on No. 22 Auburn on Monday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Central, and the game will air live on SEC Network.
