Syracuse Pulls Away in Second Half to Top Cornell

Syracuse jumped out to a big lead early, withstood a Cornell run, and pulled away in the second for a 80-68 victory Wednesday night. With the win, the Orange improved to 7-5 on the season while the Big Red fell to 8-3. Next up for Syracuse is the home conference opener against Virginia on Saturday in the Dome. That game, originally slated for an 8:00 p.m. tip, will start at 6:00 p.m. eastern.

Cornell came into the game as the nation's leader in offensive pace, averaging just 14 seconds per possession. The Big Red averaged over 88 points per game coming in, while shooting 38% from three point range and turning it over 13 times each contest. Syracuse held Cornell to 20 points below that scoring average, 33% from three point range and forced 22 Big Red turnovers.

The Orange jumped out to a 17-2 lead in the first half as strong defense and a significant advantage inside aided the early advantage. However, Cornell got back in it with some hot shooting from the outside. Much like Monday's game against Brown, a large first half lead was trimmed to single digits by intermission. The Orange led by just five at halftime in this one.

Syracuse slowly and methodically stretched the lead in the second half. Cornell tried to stay in it with the same formula that led to the run in the first half, hot outside shooting. The Big Red was unable to make enough and the Orange's lead, which was down to as little as three early in the second half, was pushed to nearly 20 thanks to an 18-3 run. Syracuse would cruise from there to earn its second straight victory.

Buddy Boeheim led Syracuse with 22 points. Cole Swider added 21 including 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc. He also had five rebounds and two steals. Jimmy Boeheim had 16 points and seven rebounds against his former team, while Jesse Edwards contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Joe Girard struggled shooting the ball, making just two of seven shots for five points. He did have five assists and two steals, though he also turned it over five times.

Benny Williams played 15 minutes off the bench, scoring two points with three rebounds, two steals and a block.

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