Syracuse Men’s Basketball Defeats Colgate 79-75 Behind Chris Bell’s Career Day

By: Stephen Sklar | @StephenASklar

1,462 days – that’s how long it’s been since Syracuse Men’s Basketball (3-0, 0-0 in ACC) last beat Colgate (1-1, 0-0 in Patriot League). It’s been trying times in the 315 as Syracuse looked to pick up a win over Little Brother, and on Tuesday night they finally did, 79-75.

Chris Bell scored a career-high 25 points and Judah Mintz added 23 in the win. The two sophomores came out guns blazing. After the game, the two said that the Colgate game has always been a little bit personal. 

“The last two years, in 2021 and 2022, we lost by 12 last year and the year before we lost by 15. So, they put the scores on the baskets so we could see them. I think a lot of people were pissed off,” Bell said.

“We were a more athletic team than them, so we wanted to utilize that. At the end of the day, we didn’t have time to play in the half-court. In the second half especially,” Mintz added after the game. “So, pushing the pace and using our speed and athleticism to get to the basket is what got us back in the game.”

It wasn’t always pretty for Bell, who started just 2-of-6 from behind the arc. But after halftime, the misses turned to makes. Bell finished with a single-game career-high six three-pointers made. Despite some struggles, head coach Adrian Autry said he’ll take them, as long as the results are there.

“It’s about giving the effort, the energy, and taking good shots. He works on his game, we know what he can do, and he’s getting better. I think everyone on my team has confidence, so I don’t have to give him confidence. He has confidence.”

The confidence that Chris Bell had Tuesday night is something the entire team needs to mirror before its next stretch of games. That all starts Monday when Syracuse takes on #7 Tennessee in Honolulu for the Allstate Maui Invitational. Tip-off is at 2:30 PM EST.