A quick take on Syracuse’s 72-53 win over Cornell at the Carrier Dome on Wednesday evening in Boeheim Bowl III:
WHAT HAPPENED: A pair of free throws from Cornell’s Jimmy Boeheim with 9:56 left in the second half cut Syracuse’s lead to 44-41. The Orange appeared particularly vulnerable because starting center Bourama Sidibe picked up his fourth foul, and needed to be replaced by freshman Quincy Guerrier. It turned out to be a key sub, as Guerrier went on a personal 8-0 run to put the Orange in control. After his 3-pointer with 6:32 left capped that run, the Orange led 52-41, and Cornell would get no closer than eight points the rest of the way. The Orange won the 40th straight game between the two upstate rivals, and younger brother Buddy and father Jim won the third game in the Boeheim Bowl.
» Related: The last time Syracuse basketball played at Colgate and Cornell
ANALYSIS: Coming off a win where the Orange shot 56 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from downtown, Syracuse showed the downside of relying on outside shooting. SU sputtered out of the gate, shooting just 35.7 percent from the field and 4-14 from 3-point land, and staggered into halftime up just 26-25 against a Cornell team that is expected to finish near the bottom of the Ivy League. Of course, that changed after halftime, when Jim Boeheim told his team to make a more concerted effort to get inside, which created more open outside looks. SU shot 60 percent in the second half, and 6-13 from downtown. Jim Boeheim also continued the tightening of his rotation, with only Guerrier (16 minutes) playing any significant minutes off the bench. Brycen Goodine (7) and Jessie Edwards (2) were the only other players aside from the starters to see minutes, with Jalen Carey drawing a DNP – Coach’s Decision for the second straight game.
HERO: Elder brother Jimmy Boeheim showed his hometown Syracuse crowd just how much he’s developed at nearby Ithaca. A lightly recruited player out of high school, Jimmy led all scorers with 25 points, hitting 7-16 shots, and showing a knack for getting to the free throw line, hitting nine freebies. Younger brother Buddy, not to be overshadowed, finished second on SU with 16 points, though he hit just 4 of his 13 3-pointers. Elijah Huhges led the Orange with 22 points, seven assists and three rebounds.
ZERO: Joe Girard III set high expectations after scoring 24 points against Seattle in his first collegiate start. He fell back to earth against the Big Red, hitting only 2 of 7 from beyond the arc and finished with nine points, though he did add four assists and six rebounds.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse stays at home, hosting Bucknell on November 23 at 12 p.m. TV: ACC Network.
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