Syracuse almost gave fans a heart attack on Tuesday, but it pulled through for a tight 74-72 win against Colgate.
The Raiders, who have appeared in five of the last six NCAA tournaments, had beaten the Orange twice in its last three meetings and looked poised to continue that streak after a late comeback attempt. Syracuse led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but Colgate knotted the game at 72 with 1:19 to play before center Eddie Lampkin Jr. hit a layup with 46 seconds left to give Syracuse the lead for good.
Lampkin Jr. feasted on the glass for the Orange, finishing as the team’s leading scorer with 15 points and adding 12 rebounds while dishing out five assists. Behind Lampkin’s effort, Syracuse finished with 42 rebounds and it was the team’s second straight game with at least 40 rebounds to open the season after it collected 44 boards in the opener against Le Moyne.
The Orange had 10 offensive rebounds to Colgate’s four, leading to 8 second-chance points. Syracuse also had 19 assists, and the fluidity on offense often put the Raiders defense in motion.
Lampkin’s rebounding and the team’s ball movement helped Syracuse overcome another poor shooting night from beyond the arc, as the team shot just 8-for-23 (35%) from the three-point line. They also struggled from the free-throw line, making just four of eight attempts.
Forward Jyare Davis had two chances to ice the game for the Orange while up 2 points when he went to the free throw line with 23 seconds and 7 seconds left, but Davis missed both. Guard Lucas Taylor came up with the offensive rebound on Davis’ second miss, but he also missed a free throw. Those concerning mistakes didn’t hurt Syracuse against Colgate, but once ACC play opens, they may not be as fortunate.
Another thing the Orange will have to do once the schedule gets tougher is to limit turnovers and step up in transition defense. Colgate scored 12 points off Syracuse turnovers and 22 points in transition to the Orange’s 2 points in transition.
Syracuse earned the win and did enough to prevent the upset, but they’ll have to be better if they want to keep their undefeated record.
