It was another eye-opener for Syracuse's defense. Except this time, it was a good thing.
After beating Long Beach State on Sunday, Jim Boeheim said his defense needed to play much better. The Orange bounced back by holding Cornell to just 12 points in the first half on Wednesday night.
"We wanted to do a better job defensively, tonight," Boeheim said. "I think we did."
Syracuse closed out the calendar year as well as its nonconference schedule with its 35th consecutive victory against in-state rival, Cornell. It may not have been a banner year for Syracuse, but the Orange at least managed to end 2014 on a high note. The Orange (9-4) never trailed the Big Red in a 61-44 win in the Carrier Dome.
Rakeem Christmas had a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds, good for his 12th game of the season with at least ten points. Christmas showed off his shooting range with a soft, fadeaway jumper from just outside the free throw line early in the first half. He was Syracuse's most reliable scoring option during a first half when the rest of the team had a tough time on offense.
"We got the ball to Rak in really good positions and he finished extremely well around the basket," Boeheim said. "He was very, very solid under there."
Trevor Cooney, who added 14 points, was Syracuse's only other scorer in double figures.
"Our offense struggled a little bit," Boeheim said. "We got open shots early and, you know, when you don't make those shots early, it's difficult. We had some really good looks early and the ball didn't go in, but our defense held us up."
In fact, Syracuse nearly broke a team record for the fewest points allowed in a half in a Carrier Dome game. In 2010, the Orange only allowed eight points in the first half against Colgate.
The Big Red avoided that distinction, but not by much. They started the game 1-15 from the field, with JoJo Fallas' jumper as the only field goal for the first 14 minutes of the game.
Cornell's David Onuorah looked to have a clear path through the lane about a minute in, until Chris McCullough slid in from the right side for an emphatic block. The fluid motion and help side defense from McCullough and Christmas on the back line of the zone gave Syracuse, once again, a big advantage in the paint.
The Orange head into ACC play on a three game winning streak, a big turnaround after losing three of four games to start the month.
It's enough for Boeheim to concede some improvements in his team, but not enough to make any bold proclamations as the strongest part of his team's schedule inches closer.
"We'll find out when we get in conference play. No predictions. We'll see," Boeheim said as he walked away from the podium.
Then added, "Happy New Year's"