Early in the first half of Syracuse's game against Florida State, Trevor Cooney got
the ball from behind the arc and took one dribble, fired and hit nothing but net – and he was just getting started.
After that first three Cooney would hit six more from
behind the arc, finishing the night with 28 points in
Syracuse’s (12-4, 3-0 ACC) 70-57 win over Florida State (9-7, 1-2 ACC) on
Sunday night at the Carrier Dome.
“I got a couple early and it felt good,” Cooney said. “When
I make shots, it extends the defense and we’re able to get some easy ones."
Cooney Gets Going
Cooney got hot quickly in the first half, making four of
seven from behind the arc. His first
three pointer of the night gave Syracuse an early 7-4 lead with 16:40 remaining
in the half. He hit another with 11:42
to go in the first. on the Orange’s next possession, Michael Gbinije followed with a three-pointer of his own, putting Syracuse up
18-10.
“Our offense was good and it was really encouraging,” Syracuse head coach Jim
Boeheim said. “This was our best
offensive game since the first half of the Virginia Tech game.”
After Florida State got the ball back following Gbinije's three, Cooney forced an FSU turnover, one
of eight in the first half for the Seminoles. Florida State also struggled from the field. The team has been playing
without one of its biggest offensive contributers, guard Aaron Thomas, since
mid-December when he was declared ineligible for the rest of the season.
The Seminoles made only eight of their 26 attempts from the field and none of their
eight attempts from behind the arc in the first half.
“Coach wanted us to get on all of their shooters and make
them take tough shots and that’s what we were doing,” SU center Rakeem Christmas said.
While Florida State has been playing without one of its
starters, Syracuse lost one of its own early in the first half. Freshman Chris McCullough tried to catch a long pass by Kaleb
Joseph but he landed awkwardly on his leg and fell to the floor. McCullough had to be helped off the court and
did not return to the game. There was no
update on the details of his injury after the game.
Seminoles Rally in
Second Half but Cooney’s Hot Hand Too Much to Overcome
Syracuse had a 35-22 lead heading into the break, but
Florida State came out fighting in the second half, improving to 48-percent shooting from
the field. However, every time Florida State seemed to gain momentum, Cooney had an
answer. With 13:19 left in the game,
Florida State's Jarquez Smith threw down a one-handed slam off an offensive rebound - but
on the Orange's next possession Cooney quickly quieted any FSU excitement over the dunk by hitting a
three and putting Syracuse up 50-36.
The Seminoles got close again with about five minutes left
in the game. Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who
led the Seminoles with 14 points, hit a free throw to cut the Orange lead to
nine. However, on Syracuse’s next
possession Cooney hit his sixth three-pointer to put Syracuse back ahead by
double digits.
“He was coming off those screens and popping them and
knocking them down like he knew they were supposed to go in…he was on fire,”
Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton said. “I was shaking my head a couple of times saying my
goodness I wish he had waited one more game before he got that feeling.”
Along with Cooney’s strong offensive performance, Christmas and Gbinije also finished the night in double digit
scoring. Christmas totaled 14
points and Gbinije had 11. Christmas also played well on defense, finishing the
night with five blocks.
“Rak is full of life for us and this was his best
defensive game," Boeheim said. "He blocked some shots, he
was active on the defensive end - I thought he was very solid.”
Kaleb Joseph, who has struggled this season with turnovers, also
turned in a solid performance at point guard. He
finished the game with seven assists and only one turnover.
“I’m seeing things I didn’t see before," Joseph said. "I’m listening to the
coaching staff and trying to develop as a player and the more I listen and try
to embrace everything the better I’ll be."
One of Joseph’s assists was to Cooney for his seventh and final
three-pointer of the night. Just as he
started out hot early in the first half, Cooney finished strong in the second and his last
three put the Orange up 67-52 with about three minutes to go. Although
Florida State scored five points in the final minute of the game, the Seminoles' efforts were not
enough to overcome Cooney’s sharp shooting and the Orange’s strong offensive
performance.
Next Up
Syracuse has now won six in a row and is 3-0 in ACC play. Next up, the Orange will host Wake Forest on
Tuesday night at the Dome. Tip-off is
set for 8 p.m.
Florida State returns to the court on Wednesday. The Seminoles will travel to Pittsburgh to
take on the Panthers at 9 p.m.
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