When Syracuse lost to Colgate last season, it seemed like an outlier of a contest. Tonight, the Raiders replicated that performance, and dominated the Orange 80-68 inside the Dome. It is the first time Colgate has won back-to-back games over SU since 1961 and 1962.
In 2021, Colgate won by hitting 18 three-pointers behind 25 points from guard Jack Ferguson. In 2022, the Ferguson role was held by senior Tucker Richardson. The guard led the Raiders with 27 points, seven three-pointers, and four steals.
“He’s the best player in their league,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “He’s always played well against us.”
Richardson and Colgate were shooting the lights out all game long. The Raiders went on an 11-1 run early in the first half and never looked back. Colgate shot 47% from the floor and 50% from beyond the arc. Syracuse only held a lead within the first five minutes of the game. Jim Boeheim, though, was happy with the defensive play and credited the Colgate offense.
“In a lot of ways, our defense had a lot of good moments,” Boeheim said. “[Colgate] is good against the zone, but they are better against man-to-man. We had no chance to play that man-to-man and it was obvious from the beginning.”
Boeheim liked what he saw defensively, but Colgate still put up 19 three-pointers on the night. Guard Joe Girard noted after the game that it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
LISTEN: Joe Girard III buried his fourth deep ball of the night to inch Syracuse closer to Colgate. @johnnygwitz had the call.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) November 16, 2022
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“We just have to know where the shooters are,” Girard said. “Obviously, also, we want to get our offense better and just have some movement. We need to create space in the paint for Jesse [Edwards].”
LISTEN: Syracuse center Jesse Edwards banked one in to help cut into the Colgate lead. @EzeirCameron had the call.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) November 16, 2022
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There was not much space for Jesse Edwards, who coming off of an 18-point performance against Lehigh, only scored 10 points. Girard also finished the night with 14 points and four three-pointers. Two games in, though, Jim Boeheim still needs to see improvement.
“Colgate is a really good team. They’re better than we are right now,” Boeheim said. “We need to get better. It’s the second game of the year, but we need to get better.”
Syracuse can get back in the win column this Saturday when it hosts Northeastern. The Orange and Huskies go head-to-head at 4, and WAER will get you started with McClurg Team Countdown to Tipoff at 3:30.