Not even close

Syracuse set a record for fewest points allowed in a half at the Carrier Dome as they held Colgate to eight points in the first half Saturday night en route to an easy win, 100-43.

 

The No. 7 Orange opened Saturday night’s game against Colgate with a 12-0 run, held the Red Raiders to a Carrier Dome record eight first half points, and cruised to an easy victory, 100-43.

After watching two previously unbeaten Big East teams – Georgetown and Pittsburgh – fall earlier in the week, the Orange looked to avoid a letdown following a big victory over Michigan State. Led by another double-double from Rick Jackson, Syracuse (10-0) quickly dismissed any notions of a trap game with its best shooting performance of the season.

"We just wanted to go out there, get on them early, and give our bench players a lot of time.” -Brandon Triche

“We came out, we made some shots early. Our defense has been good all year, and our defense was good again,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “Everything went in for us, the bounces went our way and nothing went right for them. It was just one of those games.”

Sophomore guard Brandon Triche led the charge early as he knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in the opening minutes. The local product followed that up with huge slam dunk en route to a season-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

“I haven’t hit a 3-pointer since like game four, so just to hit one it made me really feel good,” Triche said in a postgame television interview. “I think as a team, we just played great. We were very unselfish. There wasn’t too much one-on-one, we just moved the ball and got open shots.”

The Orange got plenty of open shots indeed. Syracuse shot 56 percent for the game, including 44 percent from beyond the arc, where they went 11-of-25. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders (0-8) struggled to get anything going as they shot a dismal 10 percent in the first half, making only three baskets.

“They’re struggling, and they really struggled tonight. They had some open shots early, and it just didn’t go down for them,” Boeheim said. “They had some really good looks, and if they were making shots, they would’ve had some points. They just had a bad night.”

After jumping out to a 17-4 lead, the Orange took control for good. Syracuse locked down its patented 2-3 zone and embarked on a 28-2 run, during which Colgate did not make a field goal for nearly 14 minutes. When sophomore center John Brandenburg finally banked in a jumper for the Red Raiders with 1:07 remaining in the first half, the visitors trailed by 37, and the game had been out of reach for a while.

Despite the impressive play in the first half, what was most impressive about Saturday’s win, was that the Orange continued to pour it on in the second half. With the game in hand, Boeheim went to his bench early. Rather than getting sloppy as the Orange had done with big second half leads earlier in the season, SU continued to execute and build on its lead.

Freshman guard Dion Waiters also had a big night for the Orange. The South Philly product played 22 minutes, and chipped in a career-high 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He also dished out five assists compared to only one turnover.

“We didn’t want to let off after beating the No. 5 or No. 6 team in the country (Michigan State),” Triche said. “We just wanted to go out there, get on them early, and give our bench players a lot of time.”

Reserves Mookie Jones and James Sutherland made the most of their increased playing time as they tallied nine and seven points, respectively. Starting guard Scoop Jardine was the third Orange to score in double figures as he had 13 points in only 15 minutes of action.

The 57-point margin of victory matched the largest ever for Boeheim, and continued SU’s winning streak against the Red Raiders. The longtime coach has never lost to Colgate either as a player or a coach.

“Tonight we made shots and they didn’t, and when that happens, it get’s out of hand,” Boeheim said. “If we were 2-for-14 (from 3-point range) like we usually are, and they make three or four 3’s, then it’s a 20-point, 15-point game – that’s what it would probably be if we played tomorrow.

“We’ve got three more nonconference games against pretty good teams, and hopefully that will help us get ready for the Big East conference regular season.”

The Orange will have a week off before their next contest when they host Iona on Dec. 18. 

 

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