The No. 9 ranked Syracuse Orange struggled to shoot the ball on Saturday night, but made up for it on the defensive end of the floor to defeat the Alcorn State Braves 57-36. The Orange shot just 37 percent from the field, converted just 3 of 15 from three-point range and 42.9 percent from the free-throw line.
No. 9 Syracuse vs. Alcorn State final score: Orange win despite struggling offensively
Syracuse was able to defeat Alcorn State in a low scoring matchup on Saturday night.
Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
The defense made up for the hideous offensive output though, as they forced Alcorn State to commit 25 turnovers on the night, including 13 steals. The Orange defense was a team effort, as eight of the nine players record at least one steal.
Syracuse also held Alcorn State to just 43 percent from the field, and with the deficit becoming too much for the Braves, they went to the three-point shot - without success. Alcorn State converted just 3 of 17 shots from beyond the arc.
Leading the Orange in scoring was C.J. Fair, who scored 13 points. Guard Trevor Cooney added 12 points, all of which came in the second half. Fair and Cooney were the only Syracuse players to shoot better than 50 percent from the field.
The win for Syracuse gives head coach Jim Boeheim his 901st career victory and he is now just one win behind Bob Knight for second place all-time among Division I men’s coaches.
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