The Raiders lost to powerhouse Syracuse 87-51 on Sunday afternoon. The nationally ranked Orange bested Colgate using its wealth of size along with its trademark

lights-out defense.

Colgate clinched an early lead with successful three pointers, but Syracuse stormed back and maintained the lead for the remainder of the game. Throughout the first half, the teams remained back-and-forth as both were able to secure strong offensive

opportunities and score.

Colgate saw a strong offensive effort in the first half. Senior forward Murphy Burnatowski led the offense throughout the first half with a solid eight points including two three-pointers. Sophomore guard Luke Roh led the Raider defense pulling down two

defensive rebounds.

Syracuse senior forward James Southerland led the Orange throughout the first half. His 16 first half points maintained Syracuse’s lead. Syracuse’s inside game also contributed to its lead. The Orange proved its strong inside game scoring 11 second-chance points and a total of 16 points in the paint during the first half. While the game was competitive during the first half, Syracuse ran away with the lead in the second half. Syracuse’s inside game once again proved dominant outscoring Colgate 26-6 in the paint for the second half.

Colgate tried to keep pace, but the offense struggled to convert its shots as Syracuse choked its chances with a strong zone defense.

The Orange locked down some of Colgate’s premier offensive players disallowing a Raider chance at cutting

the deficit.

The Orange essentially shut down any Raider chance at second chance scoring opportunities holding the Raiders to only four points on

second chance opportunities.

The Orange outer-bounded the Raiders 43-32 during the game. Syracuse sophomore forward Rakeem Christmas’s team-high nine rebounds

fueled Syracuse’s rebounding

advantage over Colgate.

Syracuse’s dominance on the foul line during the second half contributed to an increasing lead as the Orange were able to score 20 points on the foul line in comparison to

Colgate’s two points on the line.

Syracuse sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams led the Syracuse offense throughout the game. His stellar play, as highlighted by his team-high 13 assists, contributed to Syracuse’s commanding lead.

Syracuse was also able to build a dominant lead by taking advantage of Colgate’s 16 turnovers. Colgate struggled to evade the Syracuse defense and was forced to turn the ball over on numerous occasions. Without hesitation, the Orange converted these turnovers into successful offensive

scoring opportunities. The Orange were able to score 21 points off of Colgate’s turnovers.

The loss to Syracuse ended Colgate’s two-game winning streak. The Raiders are now 3-4 in non-conference play. They will continue non-conference play with an away game against rival Cornell on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Contact Matt Washuta at

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