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When Chris Bell tied it up at 70-70 via a right-wing triple with 1:38 left, the Syracuse crowd was the loudest it had been at that point. Bell, on a career-high night, made much needed 3-pointers, an area where his Syracuse teammates struggled for a team that once trailed 54-30 with 16:32 remaining.

Then J.J. Starling made a pair of free-throws to take a 72-70 lead, the first Syracuse lead since it led 3-0 — when Bell also hit a right-corner 3. Shortly after, a Maliq Brown steal and fast-break dunk effectively secured the 24-point comeback for Syracuse.

In a tale of two halves, Syracuse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) outscored Colgate 49-21 in the final 16 minutes, pulling off an unexpected 79-75 comeback win, avenging two consecutive defeats to the Raiders. Colgate (1-1, 0-0 Patriot League) dominated the first half, seemingly en route to writing another 3-pointer-filled chapter, hitting 8-of-14 triples in the first 20 minutes. But Syracuse overcame Colgate’s hot start behind Bell’s career-high 25 points and Judah Mintz’s 23 for a 24-point comeback victory.

“I just thought our guys just dug down deep and really fought,” head coach Adrian Autry said. “They could’ve folded, but they didn’t.”

The 24-point comeback win is the largest Syracuse has overcome since 1998. Syracuse previously had 20-point comebacks versus Notre Dame in 2021 and Rutgers in 2005.

Autry and multiple players said the team’s mentality is playing “four-minute” games, winning each period in between media timeouts. With about eight minutes to go, when Syracuse trailed by 10, Autry said he felt his team got the deficit to a “manageable” number.

In the second half, Bell hit crucial shots for Syracuse. He had made a couple 3-pointers from the left corner, finishing with six triples, but the last was the most important. Then, he had a driving layup down the lane and made a free throw, which narrowed the deficit to 12 with 11:30 remaining, all part of a 20-4 run to swing the momentum in the Orange’s favor. Autry said Tuesday’s game was Bell’s best in a Syracuse uniform.

“I knew it was going in,” Bell said of the late 3-pointer. “I just could feel the energy from everybody.”

Mintz played an integral role in that run and comeback. He went on a solo 10-0 run in three minutes in the second half, similar to the one he had against Canisius. He found ways to attack the basket and get to the free throw line, finishing with eight makes from the charity stripe. Autry said he subbed Mintz out occasionally to make sure he was calm.

Just before his outburst, Mintz found Brown on a fast-break layup, rewarding him for his steal that sparked the possession. Then, Mintz had a drive of his own, splitting multiple defenders on a take from the left wing as SU trailed 62-54 with under eight minutes remaining.

“We like to play at four minute intervals,” Mintz said. “Just knowing that we have the ability to get stops in a row and knowing that we have the ability to score in bunches.”

Later, Mintz matched up with Colgate’s Nicolas Louis-Jacques. He drove into the lane, settling for a jumper and forcing a foul. His aggression, both offensively and defensively, helped swing the momentum into Syracuse’s favor. Mintz finished with 23 points and three steals, his third 20-point game to start the season.

As Colgate’s Jalen Cox tried to bring the ball across midcourt, Mintz pocketed him, taking the ball down the court for an emphatic slam. Following a Mintz free throw on the next possession, Syracuse trailed by four with five minutes remaining.

The Orange switched gears defensively in the second half. It showcased the full-court press, something that Autry said he wanted to work on from the last outing, and played tighter man-to-man defense on the perimeter. Colgate, which had made eight 3-pointers in the first half, made just one in the second. Syracuse also forced 19 turnovers — 14 in the second half — that translated to 20 points.

“To hold Colgate to 29 points in the second half, and only allowed them to have one three, that’s a big jump from what we’ve been doing,” Autry said. “I thought we put up a consistent half of defense together.”

Justin Taylor said the game had a feeling of “déjá vu” in the first half. The Raiders dominated the first frame behind their 3-pointer shooting, making eight of them in the first 20 minutes, jumping out to a 46-30 lead.

Colgate has used the 3-ball notoriously against the Orange, making 18 in the 2021 upset and 19 in last season’s 80-68 win over Syracuse. The Raiders seemed to pick up right where they left off, making four 3-pointers in five minutes, forcing Autry to call a timeout.

Near the end of the first half, the Orange entered a scoring slump as Colgate enjoyed a 13-0 run, spearheaded by 3-pointers from Jalen Cox, Chandler Baker and Records to give it a 40-25 lead. Braeden Smith, following a Bell offensive foul, drove into the lane, drawing two defenders of Syracuse man defense. It allowed Keegan Records to sprint back out to the top of the key, swishing the wide-open 3. Colgate also won the rebounding battle 44-32.

The Raiders also started off the second half with an 8-0 run to build its 54-30 lead, forcing Autry to call a timeout.

Benny Williams kicked it out to Starling at the top of the key. Starling drove down the lane for a floater, which was two buckets preceding Mintz’s run. Williams made his season debut for Syracuse after being suspended for the first two regular-season games because of a violation of team rules. He checked in about midway into the first half, mostly ineffective on the offensive end, going 0-of-4 from the field with three misses from long range.

Autry said it’ll take some time to get Williams’ conditioning back together after being away from the team briefly, but the greatest thing he saw in Williams on Tuesday was his engagement with his team. His teammates carried the load, mainly Mintz, Bell and Starling on the scoring front.

None of the first-half struggles mattered in the end. The second-half takeover by Bell and Mintz, who combined for 48 of the Orange’s 79, spearheaded the comeback, as well as more pressure on the defensive side.

“We knew we had 20 more minutes to come out and compete,” Mintz said. “We wanted to give it all on the court. They left the door open for us and we shut it.”

Published on November 14, 2023 at 9:46 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini