With three-and-a-half minutes gone in the second half, Colgate looked poised to finish romping over Syracuse for their third straight victory in the series between the two schools with a 54-30 lead in hand. The Orange (3-0) had other plans and came roaring back for a 79-75 home win.

After giving up the first eight points of the second half to finish digging that giant hole, the hosts responded with nine straight points to pull within 15. Following three points from the Raiders (1-1), Chris Bell, who had his best effort at SU, had nine points in an 11-1 run that pulled the hosts within 58-50 just past the midpoint of the second half.

Colgate righted their ship and maintained control for the next four minutes, keeping the margin above seven points. Syracuse, however, turned up the defensive pressure, forcing eight turnovers in the final 6:22 of play.

Those Raider miscues fueled the Orange offense, as Judah Mintz had five straight points to draw the hosts within 66-62. After a pair of baskets by the Raiders, SU then ripped off 14 straight markers to turn an eight-point deficit into a 76-70 lead with 31 seconds remaining.

The Raiders got a three to halve the lead, but Mintz added two foul shots to hold the visitors off.

Colgate had dominated the opening half, using a quick 8-0 run in the opening minutes to take command. They kept the Orange at arm’s length for the next ten minutes before blasting them with a 19-2 run for a 46-27 lead.

The guests owned the backboards in that opening session, holding a 25-12 rebounding advantage, while also raining down eight three-pointers. The Raiders finished the night with a 44-32 margin on the glass.

Bell and Mintz were the stars on the night for SU. Bell had 15 of his 25 points in the second half and hit six triples on the game. Mintz actually topped Bell’s second half mark, pouring in 17 of his 23 after intermission, while adding eight assists and three steals on the night. J.J. Starling was the only other Syracuse player in double figures, finishing with 13 points.

Keegan Records paced Colgate with 17 points and 13 rebounds while Braeden Smith had an excellent game, rolling up 14 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Ryan Moffatt added 12 points and Nicolas Louis-Jacques chipped in with ten.

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