Sports: Multimedia Belt

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 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.

Men's basketball: Orange dominates paint again in win over Holy Cross
By Gabriella Kreuz
December 1, 2014 - 1:12pm
Rakeem Christmas and Chris McCullough shine as perimeter shooting continues to fail SU.

Syracuse stormed to a post-Thanksgiving win Friday night, defeating Holy Cross, 72-48, in front of 19,167 fans at the Carrier Dome. Senior Rakeem Christmas and his younger counterpart, freshman Chris McCullough, collectively scored 39 points. 

As has been the case so far in 2014, the Orange struggled from the perimeter and did much of its damage (42 points) in the paint. 

Syracuse football: Pittsburgh rushers bowl past sluggish Orange defense
By Josh Carney
November 27, 2014 - 3:11am
The Panthers pile up 256 rushing yards in a convincing 23-point victory.

A Pittsburgh defense that had given up an astounding 147 points over its past three games presented the Syracuse offense with a great opportunity to turn around what has been a dismal season.

Men's basketball: Orange defense stifles Loyola in easy victory
By Gabriella Kreuz
November 26, 2014 - 1:32pm
SU dominates in the paint en route to its best defensive performance in almost two years.

Syracuse pulled away to its fourth win of the season Tuesday night, defeating Loyola (Maryland), 70-37, at the Carrier Dome.

Although the 47-point victory might suggest the Orange’s offensive struggles are in the rearview mirror, head coach Jim Boeheim said that’s far from the truth.

"I thought our defense was good. That's it," Boeheim said. "Obviously, we have a long way to go on offense." 

Frozen Dome Classic welcomes 30,715 fans, breaks record
By Christine Rushton
November 23, 2014 - 8:59am
The Syracuse Crunch beat the Utica Comets 2-1 in a game that set the pro indoor hockey attendance record history Saturday night in the Carrier Dome.

Temperatures dropped inside the Carrier Dome as blades scraped ice for the venue's first professional hockey game Saturday night.

A record-breaking crowd of 30,715 fans attended the Toyota Frozen Dome Classic, the most ever for an indoor professional hockey game. On the ice, the Syracuse Crunch beat the Utica Comets with a tight score of 2-1.

“Central New York became big tonight,” Crunch owner Howard Dolgon said in a post-game interview. “There was a uniqueness to the event and we leveraged that. It’s a tribute to Syracuse.”

Cardiac 'Cuse: Orange field hockey beats UNC in penalty strokes, reaches title game
By Robin Deehan
November 22, 2014 - 8:44pm
Alyssa Manley's two stroke conversions vault SU to its first national final in program history.

Fourth-seeded Syracuse knocked off Atlantic Coast Conference rival and No. 1-ranked North Carolina 3-2 in a stroke-off, Friday to advance to its first-ever NCAA title game. 

“Speechless,” SU head coach Ange Bradley said. “I want to thank Maryland for hosting the Final Four, and Carolina and the ACC. That was an amazing game for both teams… competitive to the very end, and I’m happy we were able to get the result and advance.”