SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse nailed a season-best 13 3-pointers and Cornell struggled from beyond the arc as the Orange pulled away in the final minute for an 81-70 victory over the Big Red on Tuesday evening at the JMA Wireless Dome. Cornell had its four-game win streak snapped to slip to 7-2, the Syracuse improved to 6-3.

Judah Mintz scored 28 points, Chris Bell added 19 with four blocked shots and Justin Taylor chipped in 15 along with eight rebounds and six assists while combining to hit all 13 of Syracuse's 3-pointers in the win. SU's 41 percent shooting beyond the arc helped negate its 34-30 scoring deficit in the paint and Cornell's 25-8 scoring edge from its bench. Maliq Brown ripped down 12 boards in 28 minutes to lead both teams.

Cooper Noard scored a team-high 15 points and added six rebounds while Isaiah Gray netted 11 points with six rebounds and six assists in a losing effort, the Big Red's 43rd consecutive loss to the Orange. The offense generated open shot after open shot, but the Big Red converted just 9-of-33 attempts from beyond the arc. Guy Ragland Jr. scored eight points with five rebounds and Chris Manon had seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Cornell assisted on 18 baskets, matching its season average entering the night.

Noard scored on a quick cut and feed from Manon 10 seconds into the game to set the tone as the Big Red grabbed a 5-1 lead. Despite opening the game 1-for-5 from 3-point range, the Big Red continued to get open shots, but couldn't convert in the notoriously tough shooting environment in the Dome. The home team pushed its lead to double digits, going up as many as 13 with 5:26 to play in the half, but Cornell closed on an 11-1 run the rest of the way to get back within 34-31. Noard led the way with 10 points, while Nazir Williams added five points and four assists. Cornell trailed by just a bucket despite shooting just 5-of-21 from 3-point range.

The Orange built its lead back to double figures and eventually to 14 at 64-50 midway through the second half. Again the Big Red clawed back, getting within three on a steal and thunderous dunk by Gray, forcing a Syracuse timeout with three minutes left. After the break, JJ Starling was able to get into the lane and scored, pushing it right back to two possessions. A pair of Big Red missed 3-pointers and some Syracuse free throws put the game away.



NEXT UP
• The Big Red returns from a two-week exam break to square off with Siena on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y.
• Siena leads the all-time series 4-3, though the Big Red has taken two of the past three meetings between the teams.
• The two squads have not met since the 2016-17 season, an 89-78 win for the Saints.
• The series dates back to 1985, though six of the contests were played between 2007-16.