Orange fans had last laugh in 79-66 win over St. Bonaventure

The announced Carrier Dome attendance had quite a few St. Bonaventure (1-1) fans in the stands out of the 21,379 people that came to see the matchup. They were loud, visible, and pestering Orange fans throughout the game. However, Syracuse (2-0) had the last cheer as the Orange overcame a 32-21 deficit to topple St. Bonaventure 79-66. 

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim directing play.

"The first half we allowed [St. Bonaventure] to shoot," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said after the win. "We didn't defend the 3-point line and they made six threes. As much as that hurt, we could not get our offense going at all. Second half we opened it up a little more, [Richardson] started, and we were able to get to the basket better. I thought our defense really picked up in the second half, [Roberson] and [Lydon] did a good job containing them and we really kept the guards up front. “

Syracuse lost their 5-3 lead 1:43 into the opening half and didn’t get it back until graduate guard Trevor Cooney forced a foul on a lay-up, completing the three-point play and propelling the Orange to the lead, 57-54. He also made a three-point shot directly before, which completed the comeback from double digits to force a 54-54 tie. Cooney had 18 total points in the contest, along with three rebounds, two assists and a whopping game-high six steals. The Syracuse crowd erupted into a frenzy, with Bonnies’ fans watching in disbelief. 

With about a minute left and Syracuse ahead 74-62, St. Bonaventure fans started heading for the exits, much to the excitement of Orange fans, who sang them out of the building. 

“I thought this was a very good comeback. [St. Bonaventure] had control of the game for a long time, and when we finally got back in it we really played well," Boeheim said.

When asked why DeJuan Coleman only played 14 minutes, Boeheim responded in true Boeheim fashion: 

“I want to win, and I play the guys I think will win. I don’t know who’s gonna play next game. I watch the games then decide who’s gonna play. We’re going to try to get DeJuan going, he hasn’t played in two years and I didn’t expect him to come out and get 15 points and 10 rebounds. Never even crossed my mind. It’d be ok if it did, but he’s still trying to get a feel for the game. I’m here to win. I don’t give a [expletive] who plays.”

Syracuse plays their next game Nov. 21 against the Elon Phoenix (1-1) in the Carrier Dome. The contest marks the beginning of the Battle 4 Atlantis, as the Orange travel to Paradise City, Bahamas, for the other three games in the series against Charlotte, either Connecticut or Michigan, and an opponent to be determined on Nov. 27.