Freeman’s double-double leads Syracuse over Cornell

Syracuse men’s basketball extended their win streak over Cornell to 44 games after an 82-72 win over the Big Red. Despite the win, Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry wasn’t happy with how the team played.

“I thought we made some progress as a team in New York, and that wasn’t the case today,” Autry said. “We took steps backward.”

Struggles were apparent early as Syracuse went down 10-0 early, unable to find success during the beginning of the first half. The offense started colder than the weather outside the dorm, shooting just 3-17 with 10 minutes to go in the half, going down 20-11.

A switch flipped for Syracuse at the eight-minute mark, ripping control away from the Big Red. The Orange outscored them 19-8, recovering in a big way, swinging the score 22 points to end the first half 39-28.

Cornell climbed from its 11-point deficit in the second half, cutting the lead to four in the final minutes. SU held off the Big Red, winning 82-72. 

The Big Red remained in the rearview the entire night. The Orange defense couldn’t handle the Cornell fast break as they got outscored in transition 23-13.

“We’re struggling to get the transition points, you know. I thought we’d get more transition points. We only had 13 today. Again, Cornell had 23.” Autry said. “That’s a problem.”

Because of this poor defense, Autry went with new options in his rotation that hadn’t seen as many minutes before. Senior Lucas Taylor contributed in a big way, amassing nine points and a highlight-reel block that resulted in a five-point swing combined with a three-pointer from guard Elijah Moore.

“Those guys gave us great energy off the bench,” Autry said. “They came in and just played. They didn’t worry about anything else.”

This rotation was partially because center Eddie Lampkin, who is third on the team in minutes, didn’t see the court much. Despite this, he helped serve as a jumpstart to an offensive engine that needed one. 

“We came out very sluggish. Eddie wasn’t 100%, and he came in and gave us a big lift, impacting the game and not worrying about scoring. That’s what he does,” Autry said.

Freshman contribution was huge for Syracuse. The Big Red couldn’t keep up with the Orange’s two leading scorers, Moore and forward Donnie Freeman, who combined for 42 points, over half of SU’s total.

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Forward Petar Majstorovic also saw the court as a spark plug to the struggling Orange, contributing far beyond his two points and five rebounds.

Freeman recorded a double-double, accumulating a season-high 23 points along with 12 rebounds and three assists. The D.C. native led the Orange in all three categories and was a force inside all game. 

Moore came in and shot the ball lights out from beyond the arc, going 5-7 from deep and picking up 19 points along the way. It totals his most three-point shots made all year and was a solid outing for an Orange team struggling from three. 

“I thought (Donnie) did a good job of getting inside,” Autry said. “Choppa (Moore), y’know, we’re not shooting the ball well, and he came in, and he had five threes and that was big.”

After their win, Syracuse will have some momentum and things to build off of as they look for the upset against No. 7 Tennessee on Tuesday at 7:30. The Volunteers are 7-0, coming off a win over UT Martin 75-38.