Orange Muscle Past Men’s Hoops, 82-72
Box Score SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Cornell started and finished strong, but Syracuse used a decided edge in the paint to pull out an 82-72 victory over the Big Red on Wednesday evening at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange improved to 4-2 on the season, while Cornell slipped to 4-3.
Guy Ragland Jr. scored 17 points to lead four double-figure scorers, with the backcourt of Cooper Noard and Nazir Williams chipping in 16 points apiece. Williams added six rebounds and four assists. AK Okereke netted 10 points and dished off three assists to go with four boards. The Big Red shot 40 percent overall, including 30 percent from beyond the arc on 12-of-40 3-point attempts. The 40 attempts rank as the sixth-most in a single game in school history.
Donnie Freeman scored a game-high 23 points and added 12 rebounds for a double-double, while Elijah Moore hit all five of the team’s 3-pointers en route to 17 points and five rebounds. The Orange held a 40-24 edge in points in the paint and outscored the Big Red bench 32-10. Syracuse put up a commanding 48-35 edge on the backboards in the victory
Cornell scored the game’s first 10 points and led by as many as 12 in the first half, but the Orange weathered the storm and flipped the script, taking an 11-point edge into halftime. Cornell got within four late in the second half, but Syracuse answered each time and finished off its 44th consecutive win in the series.
UP NEXT
• The Big Red kicks off the month of December when it visits five-time defending Patriot League champion Colgate on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, N.Y.
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• Cornell has won three straight matchups between the teams, including a 77-64 contest last season in Ithaca.
• The last time the teams met in Hamilton, Cornell ran off with a 91-80 victory during the 2022-23 season.
