Syracuse Men’s Basketball faced a 24-point deficit, yet still walked away with a win.
Syracuse completed the second biggest comeback in ACC history to take down Colgate, 79-75.
Offensive struggles plagued the Orange during the first half. While Colgate flourished at the 3-point line, Syracuse floundered, going 4-17 in the first. Syracuse struggled to rebound the ball as well, going 25-12 and handing Colgate multiple second-chance points. Colgate ended the first half on top, 46-30.
The second half also didn’t get off to a great start, with the Orange going scoreless for the first 3 minutes. This prompted loud boos from across the Dome. But then Syracuse forward Chris Bell made a three. Then another. Then another.
“I missed a couple a shots earlier, and it got me mad,” Bell explained. “Then I heard the crowd booing, so it helped us a bit for sure. It definitely was motivation.”
The Dome’s boos quickly turned to resounding cheers, as Bell rallied for 25 points and six three-pointers to chip away at Colgate’s lead. Judah Mintz followed suit, entering the second half with just six points and ending the night with 23 total.
Syracuse guard JJ Starling raved about Bell’s performance, saying it’s a testament to the team’s depth.
“All I gotta say is he is that guy,” says Starling. “No matter what the situation is, we always expect somebody to step up. We had that tonight.”
Syracuse heads to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational this weekend, where they’ll face No.7 Tennessee.