National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Syracuse 72, Holy Cross 48
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, November 28, 2014
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
Officials: # Brian Dorsey, # Tim Kelly, # Doug Shows
Attendance: 19167

Syracuse 72, Holy Cross 48: Rakeem Christmas scored a career-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds as the Orange downed the visiting Crusaders to extend their non-conference home winning streak to 55 games.

Chris McCullough added 14 points and a personal-best 13 boards for Syracuse (5-1), which won its third straight game despite going 0-of-14 from 3-point range. Kaleb Joseph chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Orange, who went 20-of-25 from the free-throw line.

Malcolm Miller led the way with 18 points for Holy Cross (3-1), which shot 26.8 percent from the field. Eric Green was limited to four points on 2-of-14 shooting, but secured a team-high five rebounds for the Crusaders, who haven't beat Syracuse since Jan. 5, 1972.

The Orange overcame a sluggish start as Christmas ignited a 14-1 surge to put them on top 24-10 with 6:16 left in the first half. McCullough keyed an 8-0 run to push the margin to 19 and Syracuse took a 39-17 lead into intermission despite missing all seven of its attempts from 3-point range.

Miller knocked down back-to-back shots to cut the deficit to 46-33 and Holy Cross pulled within 11 before Christmas scored six straight points to give the Orange some breathing room at 56-37. Syracuse maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way to earn its sixth straight victory over the Crusaders.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Syracuse has gone 9-of-58 from beyond the arc in its last four games. … The Orange haven't lost a non-conference game at the Carrier Dome since Dec. 15, 2008. … Syracuse F Tyler Roberson missed his second straight game with an abdomen strain.
Top Game Performances
 
Holy Cross   Syracuse
Malcolm Miller 18 Scoring Rakeem Christmas 25
Justin Burrell 4 Assists Kaleb Joseph 6
Eric Green 5 Rebounds Chris McCullough 13
Anthony Thompson 8 Free Throws Made Rakeem Christmas 9
Anthony Thompson 3 Steals Michael Gbinije 2
Malcolm Miller 2 Blocks Rakeem Christmas 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Holy Cross 48 26.8 3-16 15-21 9 24 4 10 13
Syracuse 72 46.4 0-14 20-25 11 45 6 9 15