SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, Colgate charged all the way back to tie it in the final two minutes before succumbing to a handful of contested shots down the stretch, falling to Syracuse 74-72 on Tuesday night inside the JMA Wireless Dome. 

Syracuse missed the front end of three consecutive 1-and-1 free throws, giving Colgate three chances with the score 74-72 in the final 46 seconds. First Nicolas Louis-Jacques' 3-pointer rimmed out. Then Jalen Cox's mid-range jumper fell short. With one last gasp, Louis-Jacques lost his footing on his way to the rim and the ball sailed out of bounds as time expired with the Orange holding on for the 74-72 decision.

The Orange have won the last two meetings by a combined six points after Colgate took back-to-back games in the Dome, 100-85 in 2021-22 and 80-68 in 2022-23. 

Cox was Tuesday night's star, finishing with a career-high 21 points including 15 in the second half to go with six rebounds and three assists. Chandler Baker scored 15 points and knocked down four 3-pointers, while Brady Cummins and Parker Jones scored 10 points apiece. 

COACH LANGEL'S COMMENTS

"Another hard-fought game here. We did a little bit better to show some resiliency and fight together but it just wasn't enough. Too many self-inflicted miscues that allowed easy baskets for Syracuse. Offensively we created great looks throughout the game – a couple good shots late with the game on the line. We let too many missed shots impact the next play and that can't happen against a good team. This game will prepare us well for the next game. We'll learn from the experience and move forward." 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Syracuse scored the first seven points of the game before Cox got it going for Colgate. He scored six of Colgate's first eight points and then turned a steal into a transition trey for Cummins, who swished the 3-pointer to tie the game at 11-11 with 13:58 left in the first half. 

Jones connected on a 3-pointer to give Colgate a 16-12 lead when Syracuse embarked on a 14-3 run that took over four minutes. Baker's trey came in the middle of the run before Louis-Jacques' long jumper cut the margin to 26-21 with 6:51 left in the half. 

Baker caught fire late in the half, scoring five-straight points in an 8-0 run to tie the game at 30-30 with 3:31 remaining in the stanza. Syracuse responded with back-to-back 3-pointers before Baker nailed his third triple of the half to trim the deficit to 33-30. Colgate played tight defense to force an errant shot on the final possession of the half to trail at the intermission, 36-33. 

The Orange opened the second half with a 13-3 run carrying over the first three minutes of the second half to lead 47-36. That's when Cox started to take over the game, scoring four points in a 13-2 Raider burst that cut the margin all the way down to 57-56 with 9:50 still showing. 

Syracuse made two tough fadeaway baskets – both at the end of the shot clock – to put an end to Colgate's run and keep the Raiders at bay. Cox scored five more points in a 12-6 Colgate response capped off by a layup from Jeff Woodward to tie the game at 72-72 with 1:19 left on the clock. 

The Raiders played tight defense throughout the night, especially in the last two minutes, to give themselves a chance at a third win in four years in the Dome. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 

• Colgate shot 43.8 percent overall and made 10 threes finishing 37.0 percent from behind the arc. The Raiders were 6-of-11 from the free throw line. Syracuse connected on 44.3 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from three-point range. 
• For the second-straight game Colgate limited the turnovers, finishing with only six total to Syracuse's seven. Colgate outscored Syracuse in points off turnovers 12-2, and fast break points 22-2. 

UP NEXT
Colgate (1-2) continues ACC action next Monday with a 7 p.m. tipoff at NC State on ACC Network.