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.
"The first half we allowed [St. Bonaventure] to shoot," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim [12] 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 [13]] started, and we were able to get to the basket better. I thought our defense really picked up in the second half, [Roberson [14]] and [Lydon [15]] 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 [16] 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 [17] 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.
