A quick take on Syracuse’s sluggish 72-58 win over Colgate Saturday afternoon, in front of an announced crowd of 21,380 at the Dome:
WHAT HAPPENED: What’s new? For the 52nd straight time SU beat its upstate neighbor tying the NCAA record for consecutive victories by one opponent over another, but it was hardly a runaway. The Orange (8-1) led by 12 at halftime and by 16 at one point, but the Raiders (3-6) cut the lead to seven with just under 6:00 to play before the ‘Cuse pulled away.
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ANALYSIS: Backup center Bourama Sidibe did not play with knee and ankle injuries so Jim Boeheim used just seven players against the less talented Raiders, and six of the seven were in the scoring column. Only Matthew Moyer went scoreless after his 18 point outburst earlier in the week against Connecticut. The taller Orange forced Colgate to primarily shoot from the outside (35 shots from beyond the arc) and eventually wore down ‘gate, while hitting its late foul shots to hold on.
HERO: The “Killer B’s,” Tyler Battle and Oshae Brissett combined for 44 points to lead the offense. The bright gold shoe-attired Battle was unstoppable in spurts finishing with a game-high 24 points, while Brissett had a career-high 20 points.
ZERO: Syracuse struggled to put the game away until the final four minutes as Colgate cooled off from its long range shooting, and SU was patient with its late clock management.
WHAT’S NEXT: After the customary week off for fall semester final exams, Syracuse returns to action next Saturday, Dec. 16, facing former Big East rival Georgetown and its first year head coach Patrick Ewing at Capital One Arena in Washington. The Hoyas (8-0) defeated North Carolina A&T 83-74 Saturday afternoon. Game Time: 12:30 p.m. ET / TV: CBS.
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