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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Cornell men's basketball team gave #8/7 Syracuse all it could handle for a half, but couldn't weather a second half run in dropping an 82-60 decision to the Orange on Friday evening at the Carrier Dome. The game was the season opener for both teams.

Sophomore Nolan Cressler got his sophomore season off to a great start, scoring a career-high 23 points and adding five rebounds and three assists for the Big Red, who led by as many as 14 points in the first half to quite the Carrier Dome crowd. Cornell lead 38-32 at the break before the Orange took control in the second half with their suffocating halfcourt defense and an efficient offense.

Freshman Robert Hatter and senior Dominick Scelfo each scored nine points for the Big Red, while junior captain Devin Cherry had six assists and four rebounds. Freshman David Onuorah had six points, two rebounds and a blocked shot in his collegiate debut. The Big Red connected on 10 3-pointers against SU's matchup zone, but 10 second half turnovers allowed SU to make the decisive 32-10 run to start the second half.

Trevor Cooney had a career-high 27 points, hitting 10-of-12 shots from the floor and 7-of-8 from 3-point range, to lead Syracuse, while preseason ACC Player of the Year C.J. Fair had 19 points. Rakeem Christmas was also in double figures with 12 points for the Orange, who shot 63 percent from the field after halftime and rebounded seven of their 10 misses.

For 25 minutes, it looked as though Cornell just might end Syracuse's 34-game win streak in the series and gave Big Red fans plenty to cheer about. Onourah caught an alley-oop for his first college basket after a great feed from Hatter to tie the game at 2-2, then the goggled rookie hit a bomb from the top of the key to give Cornell an early 5-2 lead. The Orange turned it over on the other end and after a Big Red miss, Cressler grabbed the offensive board and was fouled. His two free throws put the visitors up 7-2 with 16:39 left on the clock.

Cressler connected on a 3-pointer on a feed from Cherry after the junior captain blocked a shot on the other end to make it 10-4 and a putback by Onourah made it 12-6 a minute later.  Three straight Big Red 3-pointers and a tough bucket in the lane by Cressler made it 23-16, forced an SU timeout. A trey by Cressler 90 seconds later triggered a 13-6 run that all of a sudden had the visitors up 14 (36-22) with 4:17 left in the half. Despite a late Syracuse run, Cornell still went into the break leading by six.

The second half saw the home team exert its will. The Orange took its first lead since the 19:15 mark of the first half on a Cooney 3-pointer three minutes into the second half, but Hatter answered with a 3-pointer of his own to switch the momentum, and after Fair hit a jumper, Dave LaMore answered for the Big Red down low after a great feed from Cherry to make it 45-44 Big Red with 15:09 left.

Then Syracuse took over for good. Cooney hit a 3-pointer and seven of Cornell's next eight possessions ended in turnovers, with six forced by the Orange defense. By the last one, the home team led 64-48 with 10 minutes to play. The run ended the same way it began - with Conney hitting a jumper.

Syracuse's lead fluctuated between 16 and 21 points the rest of the way before reserves scored the final seven points to push the lead to 24 by the end of the night.

The Big Red will open its home season against Loyola (MD) on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. at Newman Arena. Cornell has won the only other meeting between the schools back in the 2008-09 season, an 82-72 Big Red victory in Chestnut Hill, Mass. in the second game of the NIT Preseason Tip-Off.