Strong Second Half Secures Syracuse 67-46 Win Over Cornell

Story, photos and video by Ellen Burr

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After a lethargic first half by the Orange, Syracuse outscored Cornell 37-20 in the second to defeat the Big Red 67-46 at the Carrier Dome Saturday afternoon.

With winter break underway at SU, the Dome’s student section was sparsely populated. Typically, during the national anthem, Syracuse students shout "Oh!" in the final lines of the song, the noise of their cheers ringing through the Dome. This time around, a single student’s voice awkwardly yelled "Oh!" over the anthem singer.

The sluggish energy of the crowd was felt on the court as well, as Cornell stuck with Syracuse through the first half, with the Orange only leading by four at halftime.

But, with a newfound energy, improved shooting, and evenly distributed scoring by the Syracuse squad in the second half, the Orange pulled away for the 67-46 win over the Big Red.

Cornell Holds On Through First Half

Despite an 11-3 run by Syracuse midway through the first half, Cornell trimmed the Orange’s lead to 30-26 at the end of the first 20 minutes.

The score was back and forth early on, with the score tied at 7 five minutes into the game. Cornell took the lead shortly after that with a three-pointer by junior Robert Hatter, making the score 10-7.

Cornell’s lead didn’t last long as Syracuse went on that 11-3 run to go ahead 21-13 with around six minutes left in the half. But, Cornell did not let SU get away easily, putting together a strong offensive attack before the break.

Once again, Syracuse struggled from the three-point line early in the game, shooting 3-13 from the perimeter in the first half. Michael Gbinije led the Orange with eight points going into the half, six of those points from beyond the three-point line.

Mirroring Gbinije on the other side was Hatter, who led the Big Red in the first half with eight points as well.

 

Syracuse Goes On Second Half Run

The trend continued early in the second half, with Cornell once again taking the lead away from Syracuse with a three by Big Red freshman Matt Morgan and a three-point play by Hatter, making it 32-30.

But, a three-pointer made by Trevor Cooney a minute into the second half quickly changed the momentum for the Orange. Syracuse shot tremendously better from the perimeter in the second half than in the first, sinking 4 out of 9 threes.

By the time the run was over, Syracuse had outscored Cornell 25-4.

 

Spreading the wealth

After leading SU in scoring in the first half, Gbinije scored only four points in the second half. Cornell double-teamed him off the ball screen throughout the entire game, making it difficult for Syracuse’s top scorer to get shots off.

But the Big Red's suffocating defense on Gbinije opened up more opportunities for the Orange’s other players. Freshman forward Malachi Richardson and junior forward Tyler Roberson led Syracuse in scoring, each finishing with 15 points. Meanwhile, Gbinije found a new offensive role, ending up with a game-high 8 assists.

"When a guy becomes elite status, [the other team's] whole game plans are designed to stop [him]," Coach Mike Hopkins said of Cornell's defense on Gbinije. "You have to have those other guys stepping up and making plays. I thought we were extremely unselfish tonight trying to help each other."

Roberson also led Syracuse in rebounds, finishing the day with 12 boards. Overall, Syracuse out-rebounded Cornell 48-27.

"I went out there trying to get 15," Roberson said. "When I focus on just getting rebounds, everything comes to me. Just from playing hard...instead of just focusing on trying to score."

The Orange-Big Red matchup concluded with SU putting in its walk-ons. The Carrier Dome was the loudest it had been all day as walk-on freshman Adrian Autry, the son of the assistant coach and former SU star, scored the final points of the game with two free throws.

"The one thing that I'm learning is, it's one play at a time," Hopkins said. "This game has so many highs and lows. You just got to keep your guys positive. Keep fighting. Keep doing what you do and do it better."

Game Notes

This is the 121^st matchup between the Orange and the Big Red, the first meeting dating back over 100 years ago in the 1901-1902 season. Syracuse has not lost to Cornell since 1968.

Gbinije nearly finished the game with a triple-double, with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Trevor Cooney led the Orange in three-point shooting, making 3 out of 7. Cooney finished with 10 points.

Cornell's Robert Hatter was the only member of the Big Red to score in double figures, ending up with 14 points. Behind Hatter was freshman Matt Morgan, who finished with nine.


Up Next
 

Syracuse plays host to Montana State this Tuesday, Dec. 22. That game is slated to start at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

Cornell returns home for a non-conference matchup against Monmouth on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 6 p.

Slide show

Here are few more pictures. Click on any photo to start brief slide show.