The streak is over: Syracuse falls to Colgate, 100-85, for 1st time since 1962

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse’s 60-year winning streak against Colgate came to a shocking end on Saturday.

Syracuse had beaten its Upstate New York neighbor 54 consecutive times with Colgate’s last win over the Orange coming in the 1961-62 season.

When Syracuse ran out to an early 17-2 lead over the Raiders, win No. 55 in the streak seemed all but assured.

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But Colgate, which had missed its first 12 shots from the 3-point arc, rallied to take a halftime lead and then went on to hand Syracuse a stunning 100-85 loss at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

Colgate’s last win over Syracuse before Saturday was a 67-63 win on Feb. 24, 1962. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was a senior at Lyons High School.

Jack Ferguson led Colgate with 25 points on 6-for-13 shooting from 3-point range. As a team, the Raiders made 18 out of 43 3-point shots despite missing their first 12 attempts. Nelly Cummings scored 18 points for the Raiders.

Syracuse fell to 2-1 with the loss, while Colgate improved to 3-2.

Colgate’s 43 3-point shots attempted are the most ever taken by a Syracuse opponent in a regulation game. The previous record was set three times, most recently by Boston U. in the 2016-17 season.

Syracuse, on the other hand, finished the game 7-for-23 (30%) on 3-pointers.

After rallying from a 17-point deficit in the first half to lead 46-43 at half, Colgate extended its lead to 10 points in the second half. Jack Ferguson’s fastbreak bucket gave the Raiders a 63-53 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game.

Joe Girard scored 27 points and dished out seven assists. Buddy Boeheim added 19 points, but the Orange didn’t get any consistent contributions from anyone else.

Girard tried to rally the Orange. He scored eight straight points with his 3-pointer drawing Syracuse within 70-64 with just over nine minutes left in the game.

But the Orange could never close the gap enough. Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense could not cover Colgate’s shooters. When Jim Boeheim went with a smaller lineup, Colgate went inside to 6-10 centers Jeff Woodward and Keegan Records.

Colgate led 46-43 at halftime despite falling behind 17-2 less than five minutes into the game. Syracuse took advantage of Colgate’s ice-cold start and zoomed out to a 22-5 lead.

But just when it looked like Syracuse might run away with the game, Colgate went on a 17-6 run. The Raiders hit four 3-pointers during the rally, pulling to within 23-19 on Sam Thomson’s free throws with 9:31 left in the half.

While Colgate missed its first 12 3-point attempts, the Raiders made eight of their next 10 shots from outside the line. Jack Ferguson’s 3-pointer near the 4-minute mark of the first half cut SU’s lead down to 36-33.

Colgate finished the half 11-for-28 from beyond the arc; an 11-for-16 mark after its frigid start.

Syracuse’s next game will be on Wednesday against Virginia Commonwealth in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Colgate will be at Harvard on Wednesday.

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