81 - 66 Syracuse picked up another key victory over the 25th ranked Fighting Irish.
Perhaps most fitting for Syracuse versus Notre Dame tonight is the old adage, "Basketball is a game of runs." Syracuse quickly went down 5-0 to Notre Dame until Jim Boeheim gave DaJuan Coleman the quick yank only 90 seconds into the game. With Tyler Lydon supplanting Coleman, Syracuse went on 14-0 run. If not for a Zach Auguste free throw, Syracuse would have gone on a 23-0 run.
From that point Syracuse never looked back. The Orange knocked down six three-pointers in the first half and went into the locker room with a 44-27 lead over the Irish. The fun Trevor Cooney (or maybe Gerry, Terry or Tervor) showed up and had 15 first half points. He knocked down two threes early and also had this gem of a play:
Syracuse started the second half exactly how it started the first; the Orange gave up five quick points and once again Lydon replaced Coleman. Lydon's stint would be short lived the second time around as the freshman picked up his third foul at the 16:15 mark and Coleman came back into the game.
Notre Dame never made things interesting in the second half as the Orange were able to keep the Irish at bay. Syracuse out rebounded Notre Dame -- who played mostly 2-3 zone -- by four. Syracuse also forced Notre Dame into 11 turnovers. Cooney finished as the high point man with 22 while Michael Gbinije, Malachi Richardson and Lydon all finished with 15.
Syracuse shot 40 percent from outside and its efficiency should come as no surprise; Notre Dame ranks 332nd in the nation in three point field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 39.1 percent from deep.
With Cooney's third and final three of the game he passed Preston Shumpert on the all time list at Syracuse. He now sits behind Gerry McNamara and Andy Rautins respectively.
Trevor Cooney moves into third place on Syracuse's all-time 3-pointer list with that most recent shot. He passes Preston Shumpert.
— Syracuse Basketball (@syrbasketball) January 29, 2016
With the win Syracuse improves to 14-8 and 4-5 in the conference. The Orange now have a quick turnaround and will play Georgia Tech on Saturday. That game tips at noon and will air on ESPNU.
