Christmas, Gbinije Provide The Punch In Triumph

Sunday, December 28

Syracuse, N.Y.

2:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

(8-4)

Long Beach State

(5-9)

Long Beach State

Syracuse

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

12/28/2014 4:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Rakeem Christmas and Michael Gbinije combined for 48 points in the victory in the 85-67 victory

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Michael Gbinije had a career-high 24 points and eight assists and Rakeem Christmas posted his fourth double-double of the season to lead the Orange (8-4) in a 85-67 victory against Long Beach State (5-9). Christmas finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Christmas Remains The Constant And Gbinje Continues To Surge
Leading the way for the Orange was Christmas and Gbinje who each tallied 24 points.. Christmas has now scored double-figures in 11 of Syracuse's 12 games, including three games scoring 21 points or more.

Gbinije has contributed a great deal to the 'Cuse offense in the last three games, averaging 17.7 points a game. In the stretch, Gbinije has shot 21-of-35 (.600) from the floor (21-of-35) and 7-of-12 (583) from beyond the arc. He's added 19 rebounds,16 assists and five steals.

Trevor Cooney continued to shoot with a hot hand in the win, posting his fourth-straight contest with three or more threes. Cooney was Syracuse's only other double-figure point contributor, netting 16 points. In the last four games, Cooney is averaging 20.0 points a game.

'Cuse Thrives Off 49ers Mishaps
Syracuse's full-court press caused three turnovers resulting in six points, fueling a 9-0 run to claim the lead with a 15-14 score and 11:39 left in the opening stanza. The 49ers rallied to take a 21-17 lead but three straight buckets from beyond the arc powered a 14-2 run that gave Syracuse a 31-23 lead with 6:19 until halftime. Despite its largest deficit yet, Long Beach State fought back to pull within one with just two seconds left but Cooney's three-pointer from just across half court gave the 'Cuse a 44-40 lead at the break.

The Orange's press was too much to handle for the 49ers as 'Cuse forced 11 turnovers in the half and converted 20 points in the first half off of the Long Beach mistakes. The Orange offense thrived from the perimeter, shooting 56% from three-point land thanks to five combined threes by Cooney and Gbinije. Syracuse's 44 points is the most the team scored in the first half this season.

Threes Continue To Fall For 'Cuse
Gbinije continued to play an integral part in the 'Cuse offense as it built its lead to 14 with 8:55 left to play. The Duke transfer knocked down 10 points in the opening six minutes of the second half. The Orange held Long Beach State at bay, maintaining its double-figure lead the rest of the way. Syracuse finished the game with an 18-point victory, defeating the 49ers 85-67.

The Final Non-Conference Show
Syracuse completes the non-conference portion of its schedule on Wednesday, December 31, when it hosts Cornell in the Dome at 6:00 p.m. The Orange begins conference play on January 3 at Virginia Tech.

(12/28/2014) Men's Hoops vs Long Beach State