Cowboys Corral Orange, 86-72

Wednesday, November 27

Brooklyn, N.Y.

7 PM

Syracuse University

4-2,0-1ACC

Oklahoma State

6-0,0-0Big 12

Oklahoma St.

Syracuse

11/27/2019 9:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The four-game winning streak for Syracuse (4-2) came to an end Wednesday night at the Barclays Center as the Orange were defeated, 86-72, by Oklahoma State in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Elijah Hughes posted a career-high 28 points in the loss.

Hughes finished 8-for-15 from the field with five 3-pointers and 7-of-8 free throws made. Joseph Girard III also finished in double figures with 12 points.

GAME OF (EARLY) RUNS
The Orange fell into an early 11-0 hole. Marek Dolezaj hit two free throws 3:03 into the action to get Syracuse on the board and Joseph Girard III added three points from the line shortly after. The Cowboys were 2-4 from 3-point range in their early push.

The Orange answered with a 10-0 run capped off by a Buddy Boeheim 3-pointer. Hughes began to heat up, knocking down a 3-ball to tie the score at 13 and giving 'Cuse its first lead of the night, 15-14, with a pair of free throws. Hughes converted a successful 3-pointer 40 seconds later, pushing the Orange advantage to 19-14 with 11:08 remaining in the half.

Trailing 26-24, Oklahoma State constructed a 18-5 run to take a 43-31 lead into halftime. Cowboy freshman guard Chris Harris Jr. went 3-for-3 from long range during that span. Hughes led Syracuse with 11 points heading into the locker room, going 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from 3-point range. Bourama Sidibe and Hughes grabbed four rebounds each in the first 20 minutes.

COWBOYS PULL AWAY
Hughes set the tone for the Orange in the second half, scoring five of the first seven 'Cuse points with a 3-ball and a layup. Oklahoma State sophomore Isaac Likekele drilled two shots from beyond the arc to push the Cowboy advantage to 16 points. Oklahoma State led by as many as 19 points before the Orange rattled off a 9-0 run to make the score 58-48 with 11:44 to play. Girard logged five points in that span, including a 3-point strike.

Yor Anei converted three consecutive layups and Likekele added another to bolster the Cowboy cushion back to 15. Oklahoma State led 66-51 with 8:54 to play, and a 3-pointer from senior Thomas Dziagwa made the score 69-52, 13 seconds later. The Orange decreased the gap to 13, but the Cowboys ultimately cruised to the 14-point victory.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Girard registered a career-high nine assists to lead both teams.
Sidibe's nine rebounds led both the Orange and the Cowboys.
Syracuse forced 20 turnovers in the contest.
Likekele scored a team-high 26 points for the Cowboys.
The teams made a combined 49 free throws in the contest, 26 for Syracuse and 23 for Oklahoma State.

UP NEXT
Penn State awaits the Orange in the third place game of the NIT Tip-Off Friday, Nov. 29 back at the Barclays Center.

Tickets for Friday's game can be purchased online at www.barclayscenter.com, or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.

Tickets for all regular-season home games are on sale now online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Dome Box Office located in the Ensley Athletic Center.

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow us on Twitter (@Cuse_MBB), Instagram (cuse_mbb) and like us on Facebook (SyracuseOrange).