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Cooney Carries Syracuse In Close Win Over LA Tech

  What a difference a week makes.

Trevor Cooney exploded for a team-high 25 points, saving the Orange from an embarrassing home loss to Louisiana Tech.   It was a season-high for Cooney, just eight days after scoring a season-low two points against St. John's.

In that game, Cooney made just 1-of-6 shots, missed all four threes and continued Syracuse's miserable year of outside shooting.  In this one, he shot 4-8 from behind-the-arc, while taking over ball handling duties at points in the game.

His breakout performance propelled Syracuse (6-3) past the Bulldogs in a back-and-forth 71-69 victory in the Carrier Dome on Sunday.  Rakeem Christmas scored the go-ahead basket with a soft hook shot with four seconds left.

"Trevor played the way he has to play," Jim Boeheim said.  "He was a player, not a shooter. He got to the basket, he drove and he made plays. And that's a huge thing for us. Trevor Cooney is a very good player and he's proven himself and he doesn't have to prove anything to anybody."

The Orange needed Cooney's offense as its reliable frontcourt duo of Christmas and Chris McCullough was saddled with foul trouble throughout the game.  McCullough picked up his fourth foul with 18:36 remaining and scored just five points.  Having McCullough on the bench has usually been a bad sign for Syracuse this season, but the Orange actually expanded its lead from three to nine in a few minutes after he exited the game.

And the Orange even held a considerable 40-30 rebounding advantage even with McCullough and Christmas limited to 26 and 25 minutes, respectively.  Tyler Roberson had 17 boards -- 11 on the offensive end -- to go along with 14 points for one of his best games of the season.     

Syracuse came into the game only averaging 21 percent from three-point range, but shot 5-12 (42 percent) from deep against Louisiana Tech.  The Orange needed every one to put away the Bulldogs, too.  Cooney led the team in that department, but also mixed in some shorter shots.  He split a few defenders with 2:52 to play and drove to the basket for a layup.  His final field goal gave the Orange a 67-60 lead. 

But the Bulldogs blitzed back with a quick 9-2 run to tie the game.  They were helped out by Syracuse's sloppy play, including 17 turnovers on the day.  Some were a result of the Bulldogs' defensive pressure, while some others were simply the inability to catch the ball.  Twice in the second half, an Orange player tried to catch a cross-court pass with one hand and lost control.

"You learn in about ninth grade that you catch the ball with two hands," Boeheim said.  "And if you haven't learned that by this time, you can't learn it, which is a big problem."

In the final minute, with the score tied, Cooney bailed the Orange out again.  This time, however, it was an assist to Christmas on Syracuse's last offensive possession.  Cooney lobbed an inbounds pass to Christmas, who was standing near the ACC logo and used his strength to muscle in a shot.

"I told Trevor I was open and to get the ball to me and that's what he did," Christmas said.  "I just tried to get in there without getting the ball stolen."

Then Raheem Appleby's halfcourt heave, and Louisiana's Tech's upset bid, fell short at the buzzer.