After missing all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half, Trevor Cooney’s shooting drought ran to 0-for-11 from deep. He hadn’t connected from long range since the 17:13 mark of the first half of Syracuse’s loss to St. John’s on Sunday. His last miss of the first half on Saturday was a desperation heave at the end of the shot clock, and a microcosm of his recent struggles.

Then, just 58 seconds into the second half, Cooney snapped out of the slump.

“You just keep taking the good ones and I took good 3s today,” Cooney said. “… We just have to put ourselves in the right situation, avoid those tough ones, and work it around and try and get a good one.”

The fifth-year senior finished with 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting, and the three makes were far more encouraging than his marginal dent on the box score. He went 3-for-3 from deep in the last 20 minutes, and all three makes came in a 6:15 span as the Orange (8-3) pulled away from Cornell (5-5) for a 67-46 win.

“Trevor was a big defibrillator boost in that second half,” SU interim coach Mike Hopkins said.

Cooney’s opportunities came as Cornell aggressively double-teamed point guard Michael Gbinije. The Big Red also packed into the paint to limit Gbinije’s opportunities to pass inside, and Cooney only took advantage after scoring a single point in the first half.

All three of his 3s were assisted, further proving that he’s more effective in catch-and-shoot situations then when he creates space for himself off the dribble. Gbinije said it’s important for Syracuse to get Cooney going in transition, where there’s space on the perimeter and opportunities to attack the paint.

That worked against an inferior Cornell team and, with Atlantic Coast Conference play now two games away, the Orange would greatly benefit if Cooney’s flash of efficiency trickles into the future.

“When his shots are going in we’re definitely a better team,” Gbinije said. “He did a good job of spotting up in transition and we just found him when he was open.”

Published on December 19, 2015 at 4:47 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse