Freshmen Donnie Freeman, Elijah Moore carry Syracuse basketball to win over Cornell

Syracuse basketball, so far in the 2024-25 season, has found itself in one close game after another.

That trend continued on Wednesday night at the JMA Wireless Dome, as the Orange battled long-time foe and Central New York neighbor Cornell. The Big Red jumped out to a 14-2 edge in the first half, as the 'Cuse couldn't make any shots and settled for jumpers rather than pounding the ball inside.

Later in the first half, Syracuse basketball started shooting the ball better and clamped down on defense a bit, resulting in the Orange going up 39-28 at the intermission. However, the Big Red wouldn't stop fighting, and Cornell players made numerous 3-pointers in the second half to keep things close.

In fact, late in this non-conference encounter, the Big Red looked to trim the 'Cuse lead to two points with a potential layup, but senior guard Lucas Taylor had a huge block, and then freshman shooting guard Elijah Moore came down and connected on a 3-pointer to push the margin back up to seven points.

Ultimately, Syracuse basketball would prevail by 10 points at home, 82-72, its 44th straight triumph over the Big Red (4-3) and boosting the Orange's all-time advantage versus Cornell to 98-31. The 'Cuse (4-2) up next will travel to No. 7 Tennessee this coming Tuesday evening in the SEC/ACC Challenge.

Syracuse basketball freshmen led the Orange to a win against Cornell.

Freshman power forward Donnie Freeman, the five-star from Washington, D.C., and Moore, the four-star from New York City, set career highs in their early 'Cuse tenures on Wednesday.

Freeman was fabulous, notching a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds. Moore tallied 19 points, seven boards and two assists, while he hit on 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Senior big man Jyare Davis, making his first start in his Orange career, chipped in eight points, five rebounds and two assists. Senior guard Lucas Taylor produced nine points, two boards, one assist, one block and one steal.

Collectively, Syracuse basketball would make about 41 percent from the field, 39 percent from long range and 85 percent from the free-throw line, where it went 17-of-20. The Orange was plus-13 on the glass and only committed a half-dozen turnovers.

The 'Cuse also held big leads in bench points and paint points. On the flip side, Cornell had a 23-13 edge in fast-break points and connected on seven more 3-pointers than Syracuse basketball. The Big Red hit on just 30.0 percent from 3-point land, but being plus-21 from the perimeter enabled Cornell to stay within striking distance.