‘Cuse Opens Season on a High Note With 83-55 Win Against Colgate

The Dome was rocking as SU got ready for tip-off on its opening night.

Tyler Roberson got the scoring going for ‘Cuse with a quick two-pointer, just minutes into the game. But Colgate would respond with a three-pointer to take an early lead. The Raiders would keep it close early in the game as the two teams exchanged leads.

Back-to-back DaJuan Coleman buckets gave Syracuse a 14-11 lead. Colgate’s Sean O’Brien responded with a three-ball coming out of a timeout to pull Colgate to within two.

The Orange wowed the crowd at the Dome with an ally-oop from John Gillon to Tyler Roberson, putting the Orange up 26-15 with a little under eight minutes left in the first half.

After being down by 15, Colgate responded with a three from Jordan Robertson to make it 30-18 with about seven minutes left in the first half. With just over two minutes left in the half, consecutive three-balls from Franklin Howard and Gillon gave ‘Cuse an 18 point lead.

The Orange came out of the locker room for the second half leading by more than 20 points. Colgate started off the half by moving the ball effectively, but was unable to capitalize with any points on its first possession.

‘Cuse would come out firing as Andrew White III nailed a three-pointer to build on the Orange’s lead, making it 52-25. The Raiders’ first points of the half came on a three by O’Brien, but it would be followed by a 7-0 run for the Orange, capped off by another Roberson dunk.

During a Syracuse run that included four straight points from John Gillon, the Orange built a 72-41 lead with just under eight minutes left in the game. The Orange ended up getting over 70 points, assuring that all ‘Cuse fans would get a free taco. After a string of points by Colgate’s Malcolm Regisford, Tyler Lydon responded by blocking him on three straight attempts a few possessions later to keep the score at 72-47 in favor of ‘Cuse. Then White III would make a layup off an assist by Taurean Thompson to add two more to the scoreboard.

Syracuse guard Adrian Autry Jr. was able to excite the Carrier Dome as he scored the last points of the game, a three-pointer, giving the Orange an 83-55 win over Colgate.

“Overall, it’s the first time… first real game, happy to get it, get back to work tomorrow and work on trying to get a little better,” said Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim.

The Orange were much more physical down low, outscoring the Raiders 42-20 in the paint. The Raiders seemed content with trying to live or die by the three-point line and it didn’t end well: they shot 16% from beyond the arc, making 6 out of 37 shots.

Tyler Roberson was the star of Syracuse’s season opening win. The senior tallied 18 points, including 6 dunks and 4 rebounds. Tyler Lydon continued his offensive struggles from the preseason as he put up just 2 points. He did perform well on the defensive end, racking up 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Colgate’s Sean O’Brien paced the Raiders, scoring 9 points all off three-pointers.

The Orange will be back in action on Tuesday taking on Holy Cross in the Dome. That game will be the first game in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational.