Syracuse (8-1) beat Patriot League foe Colgate (3-6), 72-58 Saturday afternoon inside the Carrier Dome. The Orange has now won 52 consecutive games against Colgate, though it didn’t come easy. Colgate hung around for much of the game.

SU has now won back-to-back games since falling to then-No. 2 Kansas a week ago. Seven days before Syracuse visits former Big East rival Georgetown, sophomore guard Tyus Battle led SU in scoring with 24 points. Freshman forward Oshae Brissett added 20 in front of an announced attendance of 21,380.

Here are superlatives from the game.

Stud: Tyus Battle

It is apparent Battle has stepped into the cockpit of Syracuse’s offense, scoring at least 18 points in all but one game this year. His eight-point performance came when he exited the game due to a back injury against Toledo on Nov. 22. Otherwise, he has commanded the SU offense and carried it through nine games. He entered Saturday with a team-leading 20.3 points per game average while shooting 46 percent from the field. Against the Raiders, he had 15 at the half to lead all scorers.

With 10 minutes left in the game and Syracuse up nine, Battle stepped into a 3 to push SU’s lead to 12. Then he hit a jumper on SU’s next possession. Less than a minute later, he drove hard with his right hand and drew a foul. He made both free throws, extending SU’s lead to 13. The three plays are indicative of his versatility, as he stretched the floor with a 3, pull-upped from midrange and got to the basket off the dribble.

Dud: Matthew Moyer’s encore attempt

Tuesday night against Connecticut at Madison Square Garden, Moyer scored a career-high 18 points. After the game he said, “If I get going like this, I’m going to be a problem for a lot of teams.”

Against the Raiders, Moyer missed his first shot attempt, a corner 3. SU head coach Jim Boeheim immediately turned to his right to sub-in Marek Dolezaj, who checked in on the next whistle: a Moyer traveling violation. Moyer finished with zero points in eight minutes because he sat on the bench with a towel over his shoulders for most of the second frame. His contributions on the defensive end are what make him a starter, but his offensive struggles this season resurfaced Saturday.

Highlight: Oshae Brissett’s and-one dunk

Up 11 with two minutes until the break, freshman forward Oshae Brissett posted up on Colgate forward Will Rayman. An entry pass fed to his right hip, Brissett turned and took a pound dribble. He rose up with two hands and dunked on Rayman despite the foul. He made the ensuing free throw to complete the three-point play and draw strong approval from the crowd.

Lowlight: Syracuse’s perimeter defense

The Raiders, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, spread SU’s zone by shooting 3s. And a lot of them. Colgate attempted 35 shots from deep and hit 14 of them, accounting for 72 percent of its total offensive production. Stopping the 3-point shot against more formidable opponents will be integral for Syracuse’s defense come January.

Published on December 9, 2017 at 3:56 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21