At times it seemed unnerving, but the Orange pulled off the win.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CBB REVIEW) – Another game was added to Syracuse’s win column after an 81-70 victory against their in-state neighbor Cornell. Some Orange fans feared that Cornell, who were previously 7-1, would walk into the J.M.A. Wireless Dome and pull off their first victory against the Orange since 1968. While it seemed possible at times, Syracuse was able to keep control of their home court.
Cornell’s Cooper Noard and Isaiah Gray had fans on edge with their shooting abilities. At times, it felt like neither one could miss. Luckily, Syracuse’s Judah Mintz, Chris Bell and Justin Taylor were able to contribute 62 of Syracuse’s 81 points to help defeat the Big Red.
Takeaway #1: Benny Williams was not seen
Earlier this season, Williams was suspended from the team for not following team rules. While no specifics were given, fans lost interest in the details when Williams returned.
Tonight, Williams was seen on the bench in his uniform but never got into the game. Coach Adrian Autry gave a vague answer postgame about his absence.
“Tonight I played the guys I thought could help us in this game. This is a particularly hard game so I just played the guys I though could help us win.”
Whether there was an off the court issue, or Autry doesn’t believe Williams was skilled enough to participate is unclear. Fans will be on watch next game to see if Williams gets an opportunity to help his team to a victory.
Takeaway #2: Justin Taylor can be a contributor
Taylor scored a season high of 15 points against Cornell, just 10 points shy of matching his career high. Taylor admits he’s been inconsistent this season, but he’s working hard to be more of a scoring presence.
“I just need to be aggressive. I know that I’ve been a little up and down this season, but I’m just trying to be more consistent with it no matter what.”
This is the best performance we’ve seen from Taylor all season, and that should get fans excited for what else he can do later in the season when players like J.J. Starling and Maliq Brown have an off night.
Taylor proved tonight that he’s capable of scoring, but whether he can continue to make an impact is yet to be seen.
Takeaway #3: Quadir Copeland keeps making big plays
With four fouls, Coach Autry still decided to let Quadir Copeland play late in the game when Cornell was starting to even up the score.
With a minute left to play and Cornell only down by five, Copeland drew a foul and was tasked with a one-and-one to increase the lead. He made both, giving the Orange the stamina they needed to finish with a win.
Copeland says that while the crowd’s silence helped, it was his confidence that helped him the most.
“I wasn’t too focused on that (the moment) and I feel like that’s the best way to make your shots. It’s all about confidence. As long as you know you can do something, you can get it done.”
Next game for the Syracuse Orange: at Georgetown (Dec. 9 – 11:30 a.m.)
Next game for the Cornell Big Red: at Siena (Dec. 19 – 7 p.m.)