The Orange elevated their ranking to No 8 in the Associated Press poll – and Colgate, who had lost to SU 43 times in a row prior to last Monday’s game, would not alter things as it turned into a 92-56 romp at the Carrier Dome.
Despite the fact that SU had blown out its seventh straight opponent, most of the 18,147 crowd stayed and cheered until the end.
The Orange’s statistical numbers were once again impressive, representing 11 players who scored, seven of them in double figures.
Forward Wesley Johnson added 19 points and ripped down 9 rebounds. Center Arinze Onuaku battling through adversity with a knee ailment and was almost perfect, going six-for-seven from the field and registering 12 points.
SU’s bench logged in productive minutes, scoring 37 points. Mookie Jones delivered another very good performance contributing 10 points and two assists. Forward Kris Joseph and rookie James Sutherland both chipped in with 10 points apiece.
In contrast to the games against Cornell and Columbia, Syracuse wasted no time in dominating Colgate.
“That’s was our goal - to come out and put this team away early,” Syracuse senior Andy Rautins said. “We wanted to get our guys some rest and get bench guys some time. Ultimately, that’s what we did.”
At the onset, Syracuse ran Colgate off the court with unstoppable offense. SU’s unselfish perimeter passing led to wide open 3-point shots that Johnson buried.
Rautins proceeded to connect on his own 3 from the top of the key, giving the Orange an 18- 6 advantage. Colgate simply was overmatched in size, talent and depth as the Orange generated a 15-4 scoring run.
SU exploited Colgate’s vulnerable man-man defense by pounding the ball relentlessly down low in the post to Onuaku and to Jackson who each scored six points as the margin swelled to 33-10.
A stellar defense contested most of Colgate’s missed shots and held their offense to a season low of 16 points. In addition, the Raiders shot a dismal 20 percent (5-for-25) from the field as the Orange carried a 31-point halftime lead, 47-16.
Johnson matched Colgate by himself with 16 points and three assists. With the game never in doubt, Johnson spun the crowd into a frenzy with a windmill dunk.
In the second half, Colgate stormed out with 8-0 run, but the Orange retaliated grinding out more points in the paint, finishing with 46 on the night. Syracuse forced 12 turnovers and cashed in with 22 fast break points.
The reason why SU shot 57 percent was because of unselfish passing of the ball with surgical precision. The 35 assists registered by the Orange was just three shy from school record, set in 1972-73 in a 97-84 win over Rutgers.
“We are 10 deep,” Jardine the third-year sophomore, said. “I told those guys all the time to stay ready. You are going to get your opportunity. It’s along season. Nights like this will only help them and help us.”
