Men's lacrosse: Orange dominates faceoff X en route to opening victory
By Ryan Raigrodski
February 8, 2015 - 3:28pm
Ben Williams dominated one of the best faceoff specialists in the country as the Orange offense rolled past the Saints.

Syracuse seems to have finally found its long-awaited dominant faceoff specialist after a brilliant performance against Siena, which had the defending MAAC faceoff specialist of the year on its team. 

Led by the performance of Ben Williams, the Orange (1-0) won 25 out of 30 faceoffs en route to a 21-7 victory over Siena (0-1) in the Carrier Dome. Williams finished 17 for 20 for an 85-percent clip at the X. 

Men's basketball: Gbinije's late jumper completes furious comeback against Virginia Tech
By Tyler Piccotti
February 4, 2015 - 12:51pm
The junior's buzzer beater helped SU overcome a sloppy performance on both ends of the court.

Although it came one calendar day after the actual holiday, Syracuse’s showdown against Virginia Tech on Tuesday night felt like something out of the hit 1993 film “Groundhog Day.” Just as Bill Murray’s character lived the same exact day again and again, the Orange followed the same exact script on its home floor. 

Struggle to make shots early on, pull even by halftime, fall behind by a sizable margin, and attempt a furious comeback in the closing minutes. 

Men's lacrosse: Orange benefits from Onondaga Community College transfers
By Ryan Raigrodski
February 2, 2015 - 1:00pm
When SU opens against Siena on Feb. 7, a pair of new faces from the JUCO powerhouse will be aiding the team in its quest for another championship.

The No. 4 Syracuse men’s lacrosse team will add two players who dominated the junior college ranks to its team this year.        

Midfielder Tim Barber and goalkeeper Warren Hill are just the latest to join a long list of players who have transferred from Onondaga Community College to play for the Orange.

Men's basketball: Shoddy free-throw shooting dooms Orange in loss to Miami
By Tyler Piccotti
January 25, 2015 - 2:28am
Key misses by Rakeem Christmas and Michael Gbinije down the stretch allow the Hurricanes to escape with another conference victory.

Syracuse was forced to erase a double-digit deficit against Miami twice on Saturday, and it succeeded both times with an array of contested three-point field goals and a yeoman’s effort in the paint by center Rakeem Christmas. 

But when presented with easy points at the free throw line, the Orange showed nowhere near as much resolve and let both comebacks go to waste. 

Men's basketball: Balanced SU offense holds off Boston College
By Julia Morris
January 21, 2015 - 5:06pm
With Rakeem Christmas battling foul trouble, the Orange's secondary scoring options led the team to a rebound win.

For 17 minutes of Syracuse’s game against Boston College, Orange center Rakeem Christmas found himself in an unfamiliar place:  the SU bench.  

Syracuse’s leading scorer couldn’t escape foul trouble on Tuesday night, but his teammates stepped up in his absence.  Four other Orange players scored in double figures to lead the Orange (14-5, 5-1 Atlantic Coast) to a 69-61 victory over the Eagles (8-9, 0-5 Atlantic Coast). 

A Christmas to remember: SU big man has career night in win over Wake Forest
By Tyler Piccotti
January 14, 2015 - 5:43pm
The senior poured in a career-high 35 points as the Orange continued its hot start in conference play.

With freshman forward Chris McCullough now sidelined for the rest of the season, Syracuse will need to move forward without half of its potent one-two punch inside the paint. 

But on Tuesday night against Wake Forest, the other half proved he’s capable of delivering knockout blows all by himself. 

Men's basketball: Cooney buries Florida State with hot shooting
By Tyler Piccotti
January 13, 2015 - 3:06am
The redshirt-junior's season-high 28 points propelled SU to its first ACC home win of the season.

During the opening weeks of the 2014-15 season, Trevor Cooney’s potentially lethal three-point stroke lay buried in a dormant slumber. 

But if there were any doubts that he would eventually find it again, Cooney erased them Sunday night against Florida State. 

Orange begins ACC play with momentum... and lingering questions
By Tyler Piccotti
January 2, 2015 - 12:01pm
Without a signature win to its credit, SU is hoping for a strong push during conference play to bolster its tournament chances.

Since the Orange’s opening victory against Kennesaw State on Nov. 14, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim has repeatedly said his team has the potential and talent to win any game. All it needed was time, both for key underclassmen to find an offensive flow and the team’s confidence to return to a level not seen since last season’s 25-game winning streak. 

But as the Orange’s second slate of Atlantic Coast Conference games began Saturday at Virginia Tech, that time officially ran out. 

Foul finish: Syracuse squanders late lead, loses to Villanova in OT
By Tyler Piccotti
December 21, 2014 - 2:55am
A disastrous turnover in the closing seconds gives the Wildcats an opening to capitalize.

After his final shot attempt bounced off the rim and onto the floor, Trevor Cooney looked toward the Syracuse bench and tried to cleanse his body of all frustration with a forceful F-bomb. 

It was the vexation of making the right plays for more than 39 minutes and being on the verge of a statement victory over a ranked opponent, only to see it slip away in the final 17 seconds of regulation time. 

Syracuse basketball: Cooney's big night lifts Orange to nail-biting victory
By Josh Carney
December 17, 2014 - 2:43am
The guard's best shooting performance of the season helped set up a dramatic last-second win.

Trevor Cooney and Tyler Roberson couldn’t have picked a better time to have their best games of the season.

As senior center Rakeem Christmas and freshman forward Chris McCullough struggled to stay out of foul trouble against Louisiana Tech, the much-maligned Cooney and Roberson sparked Syracuse (6-3) to a 71-69 win over the visiting Bulldogs that ended the Orange’s two-game non-conference losing streak.