Orange Surge in Second Half in 67-46 Victory

Saturday, December 19

Syracuse, N.Y.

12:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

8-3

Cornell

5-5

Cornell

Syracuse

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

12/19/2015 1:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse (8-3) defeated Central New York foe Cornell (5-5), 67-46, on Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome. The Orange turned up the heat in the second half, outscoring the Big Red 37-20, to come away with its eighth win of the season.

Four Orange ended the afternoon in double-digits. Freshman Malachi Richardson and junior Tyler Roberson led the pack with 15 points apiece, with Roberson adding a game-high 12 rebounds. Richardson contributed a personal-best eight rebounds.

Grad student Michael Gbinije finished with 12 points and a season-high eight assists.Grad student Trevor Cooney knocked down a game-high three 3-pointers, all in the second half, to finish the afternoon with 10 points.

The first 10 minutes of the half featured four lead changes before Syracuse grabbed a hold of the advantage with a 10-1 run, keyed by a dunk and 3-pointer from freshman Tyler Lydon.

Cornell started on a comeback to come within three of Syracuse in the closing minutes of the first half, 27-24, but another trey by Gbinije gave the Orange a four-point lead heading into the locker rooms, 30-26.

The Orange outrebounded the Big Red 23-15 in the first half, with the Orange creating 13 second-chance points compared to the Big Red's four.

Cornell opened the second half with consecutive 3-point plays from Matt Morgan, from beyond the arc, and Robert Hatter, who added a free throw after a layup. Syracuse answered with a 17-4 run that featured three three's by Cooney and one from Lydon, putting the Orange up 47-36.

Consecutive dunks by Roberson and a jumper and a layup by Richardson extended the Syracuse advantage to 19, 55-36, with just over seven minutes left.

The Orange didn't let up, scoring 10 points in the final three minutes to seal a 67-46 victory.

The victory marked Syracuse's 36th straight against Cornell in a series which dates back to 1901-02. It was the 121st matchup between the two programs.

Cooney improved his career 3-point total to 205, good for a fifth place tie with Demetris Nichols on the Syracuse all-time list.

In the second game of a home stand, Syracuse hosts Montana State on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online, by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B).