The Daily OrangeGOOD ENOUGH: Syracuse avoids trap game with 15-point win over Cornell
By Matt Ehalt
Posted: 11/24/09, 9:04 PM EST Section: Sports
His team had beaten then-No. 6 North Carolina and then-No. 13 California just a few days prior, but to Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, those wins were no more impressive than Tuesday night's triumph against unranked Cornell.
Sure, defeating the defending national champions and the media's preseason Pacific-10 favorites was jazzy, but a win over the defending Ivy League champions was just as meaningful.
"I thought it was in a lot of ways as good a win as the two that we had in New York," Boeheim said. "Most people wouldn't see that, but I think coming off that tournament and coming home, I would see it that way."
Just one day after receiving a first-place vote in The Associated Press poll, No. 10 Syracuse surged in the second half to defeat Cornell, 88-73, in front of 18,238 at the Carrier Dome last. Syracuse (5-0) led by just six at halftime, but dominated the second half to extend its winning streak to 32 games against the Big Red (2-2).
"It just shows a lot about our character," sophomore forward Kris Joseph said. "Coming out and playing Cornell after UNC, they're two different caliber teams, and we just came in here and we didn't downplay them, we didn't think we were better than them. We just came out and played hard the whole 40 minutes."
After sweeping its duo of games in New York City, Syracuse entered Tuesday night's contest against the Big Red as hot as any team in the nation. Joseph said Boeheim preached to his team during practice to make sure it was "mentally there" in its first came back from Madison Square Garden and constantly reiterated that the Big Red was a quality opponent.
Syracuse planned to keep an eye on forward Ryan Whittman, who lit up the Orange for 33 points in last year's 88-78 win. Instead, Chris Wroblewski became a pest for SU's 2-3 defensive zone, scoring 20 points on the night.
The 6-foot guard moved along different parts of the zone and nailed 3 after 3. His first 3-pointer gave Cornell a 6-5 lead early in the game, and he finished the fist half with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. He For the first time all season, Syracuse's zone looked vulnerable to the long ball.
Sure, defeating the defending national champions and the media's preseason Pacific-10 favorites was jazzy, but a win over the defending Ivy League champions was just as meaningful.
"I thought it was in a lot of ways as good a win as the two that we had in New York," Boeheim said. "Most people wouldn't see that, but I think coming off that tournament and coming home, I would see it that way."
Just one day after receiving a first-place vote in The Associated Press poll, No. 10 Syracuse surged in the second half to defeat Cornell, 88-73, in front of 18,238 at the Carrier Dome last. Syracuse (5-0) led by just six at halftime, but dominated the second half to extend its winning streak to 32 games against the Big Red (2-2).
"It just shows a lot about our character," sophomore forward Kris Joseph said. "Coming out and playing Cornell after UNC, they're two different caliber teams, and we just came in here and we didn't downplay them, we didn't think we were better than them. We just came out and played hard the whole 40 minutes."
After sweeping its duo of games in New York City, Syracuse entered Tuesday night's contest against the Big Red as hot as any team in the nation. Joseph said Boeheim preached to his team during practice to make sure it was "mentally there" in its first came back from Madison Square Garden and constantly reiterated that the Big Red was a quality opponent.
Syracuse planned to keep an eye on forward Ryan Whittman, who lit up the Orange for 33 points in last year's 88-78 win. Instead, Chris Wroblewski became a pest for SU's 2-3 defensive zone, scoring 20 points on the night.
The 6-foot guard moved along different parts of the zone and nailed 3 after 3. His first 3-pointer gave Cornell a 6-5 lead early in the game, and he finished the fist half with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. He For the first time all season, Syracuse's zone looked vulnerable to the long ball.
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zetabeta5
posted 11/26/09 @ 9:11 PM EST
Great effort...Notre Dame has always picked apart the SU zone with its three point shooters...Now that we've gotten beyond one of the best three point shooting teams in the history of college basketball, maybe we have the mojo. (Continued…)
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