Christmas, Cooney Clutch In 71-69 Thriller

Sunday, December 14

Syracuse, N.Y.

4:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

(6-3)

Louisiana Tech

(7-3)

Team	1	2	F
Louisiana Tech	31	38	69
Syracuse	32	39	71

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

12/14/2014 6:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Trevor Cooney drops 25 while Rakeem Christmas remained clutch in the win despite foul trouble

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Rakeem Christmas converted a right-handed hook shot with three seconds left to give Syracuse (6-3) a 71-69 victory against the Louisiana Tech (7-3). Trevor Cooney, whose entry pass found Christmas prior to the game-winner, enjoyed his best shooting night of the season with 25 points.

Cooney Breaks Through
Cooney finished with eight field goals, four coming from three-point land, and a perfect five-of-five effort from the free throw line to tally a season-best 25 points. His four-of-eight performance from three was a factor in one of the only major differences in the box score. Both sides finished with similar stats but Syracuse hit 42% of its three-point tries while the Bulldogs only succeeded on 29%.

Tyler Roberson was a key contributor throughout, fighting for a career-best 17 rebounds to go along with a career-best 14 points for his second double-double of the season. His first came in the season opener against Kennesaw State.

Christmas played with four fouls for the final 10 minutes of play and still finished with 13 points. He was five-of-six from the field and three-of-four from the line. Chris McCullough was limited by foul trouble and ended the game with five points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals. It marked the first outing of his rookie campaign in which he did not score in double digits.

Kaleb Joseph was just a point shy from double-figures, netting nine and assisting on four scores.

Perimeter Shooting Propels 'Cuse In The First
Cooney and Joseph played an integral part in Syracuse's 15-4 run to open up the first half to a 25-16 score with 6:58 until the break. Joseph hit all seven of his first half points in the stretch while Cooney added a three in the mix.

Louisiana Tech immediately responded with a 12-4 run powered by two, deep Raheem Appleby threes from the left side. The run pulled the Bulldogs within one with 1:05 left in the half, trailing the Orange 29-28. Unwilling to give up the lead, Cooney put an end to the run with a three but Appleby was found again for a three-point rebuttal at the end of the half, making it a 32-31 contest led by the Orange.

The opening half was a fast-paced, action-packed battle that included seven dunks, 12 steals and six blocks.

Cooney And Roberson Come Alive In The Second
Six points from Roberson powered an 11-3 run to open the second period. The run gave 'Cuse its largest lead yet and a 43-34 advantage.

Cooney helped hold off a Louisiana Tech comeback that pulled the Bulldogs within four. He knocked down 12 of the next 16 points for the Orange and Syracuse pushed its lead to 59-50.

With time running out, the Bulldogs strung together a 14-6 stretch to pull within two of 'Cuse at 67-65. Both teams exchanged points until a missed three by the Orange was corralled and returned for a Louisiana Tech layup by Alex Hamilton to tie the game at 69 with 25-seconds left.

Joseph was thwarted in a drive to the basket but Syracuse had another opportunity when the ball went out of bounds off the Bulldogs. With 4.7 seconds on the clock, Cooney inbounded the ball directly to Christmas in the post to and his basket gave the Orange a 71-69 lead with 2.8-seconds left.

Louisiana Tech managed one last attempt but Applebly saw his half-court attempt fall short.

Traveling To Take On The Toughest Test Yet
Syracuse is idle until next Saturday, December 20, when is plays at #7 Villanova in the Wells Fargo Center. The pairing of the former two BIG EAST Conference rivals is scheduled to tip at 1:00 p.m. and will be televised by Fox.