Men's Basketball: Syracuse vs Holy Cross 11/15 (pictures)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Orange men routed Holy Cross at the Carrier Dome Tuesday night, 90-46 to go to 2-0 on the season. Here is a look at the game in photos by Andrew Leffler. Click on any picture to start slide show.

Sights of the Syracuse-NC State Football Game

Syracuse, N.Y. - N.C. State snapped its four-game losing streak with a 35-20 victory over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Saturday afternoon. The Wolfpack's overall record is now even at 5-5 and is 2-4 against ACC opponents. The Orange falls to 4-6 on the season and 2-4 in the conference. Take a look at the game photos taken by Aubrie Tolliver. Click any picture to begin the slideshow.

Volleyball: Canes beat Cuse 3-1

Story and photo by Kelsey Snider

SYRACUSE, N.Y. –  It was a quiet night in the Women’s Building when the Syracuse Orange took on the University of Miami Hurricanes.

“We temporarily had energy, and temporarily had the drive to fight,” said Syracuse’s middle blocker Leah Levert.


That energy and drive did not last.

The Hurricanes (12-15, 6-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat the Orange (7-18, 6-9 ACC) three sets to one.

Set 1:

It was a slow start for both the Orange and the Hurricanes. It was point here and point there, but neither team seemed to gained control of the game right off the bat.

It was back and forth for most of the set. At any given time in the set, each team was only ahead by a couple of points.

At 20-20, the Canes got a kill from the right side, and then two unforced errors by the Orange put the Canes within two points of winning the set.

“The first set, we were clam and we were disciplined and we did the things we needed to do, but I think we were lacking a spark,” Levert said.  “It was just barely enough to keep us back and forth with them.”

By the sound of the gym from both the crowd and the players, you couldn’t tell who was winning. Neither team showed any enthusiasm.

Miami won the set 25-22.

Set 2:

Miami started to take the momentum of set two from the beginning. The momentum didn’t come from how good the play was, but by energy on the court.

The Orange and the Hurricanes were neck-and-neck for most of the set, but the Hurricanes kept the lead.

With two unforced attack errors and a service error by the Orange, the Hurricanes were up 16-11. The two blocks from Miami put them on a roll earning points.

By the looks on the faces of the Syracuse players, you could tell that they weren’t in sync with each other.

The University of Miami kept pulling away from Syracuse, but not because they were earning points. The Orange kept making unforced errors giving the Hurricanes the win.

Miami took the set 25-16.

Set 3:

The Orange came out of the break ready to play. The players were in better rhythm with each other. They were getting blocks and kills and making defensive plays.

Miami seemed to be pushed back against a wall. The Hurricanes communication broke down putting the Orange ahead 17-13.

“Miami was so focused for two games, and they just got a little bit dull and we used this,” Syracuse head coach Leonid Yelin said.

The Orange kept pushing ahead. Syracuse’s outside hitter, Anastasiya Gorelina, got four big kills give the Orange a six-point lead 21-14.

The Hurricanes couldn’t stop the Orange’s run, and Syracuse went on the win the set 25-15.

Set 4:

Miami not letting the loss of set three affect the level of play, came out with an ace to earn the first point.

However, the Orange continued its spark from set three and wouldn’t let the Hurricanes get far ahead. In fact, Syracuse took the lead at 9-8 after an attack error from the Miami.

Both Syracuse and Miami went back and forth with the lead.

Coming out of a 22-19 timeout the Miami Hurricanes sealed the deal with an attack error from Syracuse, then an overpass kill, and a stuff block that went straight down into the laps of the Orange.

The Hurricanes won the fourth set 25-19.

Looking Ahead:

The Hurricanes will go to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to play the Boston College Eagles on Sunday, November 13, at noon.

The Orange will be back in the Women’s Building on Sunday, November 13, at 1 p.m. to take on the No. 13 ranked Florida State Seminoles.

Volleyball: SU vs Miami Photos

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The University of Miami defeated Syracuse 3-1 in a volleyball match at the SU Women's Building gym, Friday. Here's a look at the match in photos by Kelsey Snider. Click on any picture to start slide show.

Orange Men Cruise Past Colgate in Season Opener

Story by Robert Schiff
Photo courtesy cuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. - A Tyler Roberson jam 17 seconds into the game set the tone early for Coach Jim Boeheim's Orange Men, as they rolled past Colgate in their season opener, 83-55, in front of 23,844 fans at the Carrier Dome Friday night. 

Unusual Suspect

The 6-8 Senior from Union, N. J. averaged just under nine points per game last year, but on Friday night, Roberson dominated on the offensive end, with three dunks early in the first half. He shot 9-for-13 from the field, and finished with 18 points in just 24 minutes. 

“Going to the basket, that’s where he’s effective,” Boeheim said. “He was very good. He’s a good finisher when he gets to the basket.”

"We’ve got a lot of games to go and I just really want to start playing well," Roberson said.

Two Are Better than One

The guard play shown in two exhibition games continued to be stellar for the Orange on Friday night. Picking up where they left off on Tuesday night against LeMoyne, Frank Howard and John Gillon combined for 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, as well as 15 of the team’s 23 assists.

 “It’s important for those guys to play well. It helps everybody,” Boeheim said. “That’s a lot of assists out of one position and they scored as well.”

“I’m just taking every game with what the defense gives me," Gillon said. "If you want to back off me, I can hit the shot. If you want to get too close, I can go right by you. If I go right by you, I have great bigs and great shooters around me, so I can dish it off and kick it out. It’s about using my thought process and basketball IQ.”

Far From Perfect

Despite the 28-point win, it wasn’t a perfect performance by the Orange, especially on the boards, barely outrebounding the Raiders 46-40. 

“It was a terrible rebounding night,” Boeheim said. “We have to rebound the ball better than that. That’s not good.”

Boeheim also had issues with his team’s full-court press. “It was horrendous,” he said. “It wasn’t even worth saying that we pressed them.”

This was Syracuse’s 51st straight win against Colgate. The Raiders kept it close for the first ten minutes of the game, trailing 18-15, but the Orange then went on a 12-0 run, and never looked back. Colgate shot only 26 percent from the field in the first half, going just five-for-23 from behind the arc. As for the Orange’s three-point performance, Frank Howard didn’t miss a shot, hitting three from deep, and surpassing his total of two from last season. 

What’s Next

The Orange’s next test will come against Holy Cross Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome. As for Colgate, the Raiders will travel to Ithaca to take on Cornell on Wednesday night. 

Syracuse Women's Basketball Tips Off Season with a Win

Story and photos by Jacqueline Mundry

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The National Championship runner-up opened its season at the Carrier Dome with a 95-49 win over the Rhode Island Rams Friday afternoon.

The Orange used its signature pressure defense and bombed away from outside on offense to run away in the second half.

Leading 56-38 after three quarters, the Orange poured in 39 points in the fourth to reach the final score.

"This was a great game by our kids and a great effort," head coach Quentin Hillsman said.


Hits and misses

The Orange started the game on top. Freshman guard Gabby Cooper scored the team's first points of the season with a three pointer.

Despite the fact that the Orange lost its best three-point scorer in Brianna Butler after last season, the team connected on 17 of its 45 three-point shots, which is the school record.

Cooper, shot at 18 of those 45 and only made four. Hillsman said he was pleased with his team's effort, including Cooper's. He said there's a reason that he continued to let her shoot.

"It lets her know how much confidence I have in her," Hillsman said.

Hillsman said he almost took Cooper out of the game but decided not to because he believed the freshman could turn it around.

Cooper said when coming into the Dome for her first game of her career she was nervous but making the first shot of the season helped her calm her nerves.

Turnovers

The three-point record wasn't the only one set in the Carrier Dome on Friday. The women's basketball team forced 43 turnovers.

Rams head coach, Daynia La-Force, said her players are not used to being pressured this hard.

"Tonight was a prime example of being exposed and not being disciplined the way we're supposed to be disciplined," La-Force said.

She said she was happy to learn these lessons early on in the season, especially since the team has just started practicing.

"Facing this type of pressure where you're going to face every press in the book, it's not easy to do with only 27 practices," she said.

Second quarter

Rhode Island had the biggest chance to pull ahead in the second quarter. The Rams cut the score to 25-19 but ultimately could not overcome the pressure put on by the Orange.

The second quarter had a lot of back and fourth and it wasn't the scoring many were expecting to see. The Rams put up a total of six points while the Orange put up eleven.

Up next

The Orange Women will be back in the Carrier Dome on Monday at 7 p.m. when they take on Siena. The Rams will host Marist on Sunday at 2 p.m.