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| Syracuse Orange gather pre-game |
The turning point in Syracuse's 25th consecutive win at the Carrier Dome came when Trevor Cooney and C. J. Fair connected on back-to-back three-pointers to extend the lead to nine (27-18). The baskets capped a 10-0 run at the 6:39 mark in the first half.
From that point on, the Orange never looked back.
Syracuse's activity on the glass, contesting of shots in the paint and big games from freshman point guard Tyler Ennis and Fair all led to the comeback from an early deficit.
Fair led the way with a game-high 20 points and Ennis hit 4 of his 6 three-point attempts.
The performances of both helped the Orange shift the game in their favor and grab the momentum.
"Threes were a big part of the game and we started pressing and we kind of sped them up and turned them over," Fair said.
With Colgate's defensive attention focused on stopping reigning ACC player of the week Trevor Cooney beyond the arc, Ennis, made the most of his open looks from the outside.
Fair led the way with a game-high 20 points and Ennis hit 4 of his 6 three-point attempts.
The performances of both helped the Orange shift the game in their favor and grab the momentum.
"Threes were a big part of the game and we started pressing and we kind of sped them up and turned them over," Fair said.
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| Player warm-ups |
"My guys were finding me today when they got the ball open in the middle of the zone," Ennis said. "I'm going to take the open shots when they're there and hopefully they fall like they did today."
Ratcheting up its defensive effort from the first half, when Syracuse forced 12 Colgate turnovers, the Orange forced 9 more in the second half with their full-court press traps; two of which led to Sophomore Michael Gbinije electrifying the Carrier Dome with explosive dunks.
"That's definitely what Boeheim wants, for us to just get out and run," Gbinije said. "He wants us to have an up-tempo basketball game, those were my first two dunks of the year, so I'm kind of excited about that."
Despite his team winning its first three contests, Coach Jim Boeheim pointed out missed free throws as one of several flaws in the Syracuse performance.
"When you're playing a slow paced game you can't miss 16 free throws. We missed three dunks and three other layups and you have to capitalize on those things." Boeheim said.
"We didn't make a lot of turnovers, but we made three or four bad ones in transition where we could score."
After halftime, Syracuse turned to its size advantage to put the game out of reach.
"We didn't make a lot of turnovers, but we made three or four bad ones in transition where we could score."
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| Head Coach Jim Boeheim addressed the media post-game |
"In the second half we got on the boards better," Boeheim said. "That's something that you obviously have to do when your playing a smaller team, you have to take advantage of your size."
Senior Center Baye Moussa Keita was part of a strong effort by the Syracuse front-court to protect the paint and crash the boards with four blocks and 26 offensive rebounds of 52 total boards.
"I think we needed that," Keita said. "Just today was just one of those games because we played a smaller team with a lot of shooters."
Looking to improve in the next game, Gbinije said the Orange have to come out ready no matter the opponent.
"You can't sleep on anybody, upset season starts right at the beginning of the season."
Senior Center Baye Moussa Keita was part of a strong effort by the Syracuse front-court to protect the paint and crash the boards with four blocks and 26 offensive rebounds of 52 total boards.
"I think we needed that," Keita said. "Just today was just one of those games because we played a smaller team with a lot of shooters."
Looking to improve in the next game, Gbinije said the Orange have to come out ready no matter the opponent.
"You can't sleep on anybody, upset season starts right at the beginning of the season."
The Orange (3-0) hosts another in-state rival, the St. Francis (Brooklyn) Terriers next on Monday. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Watch Coach Boeheim's post-game news conference below:
Watch C.J. Fair's post-game reaction below:
Watch Baye Moussa Keita's post-game reaction below:
Watch Jerami Grant's post-game reaction below:
Watch Michael Gbinije's post-game reaction below:
Watch Tyler Ennis's post-game reaction below:
Watch Tyler Ennis's post-game reaction below:
Watch SCE student Rilwan Ameen provide game recap live from the Carrier Dome here:
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