SYRACUSE, N.Y. –– Another tough Big East opponent, another hard-fought loss for the men’s basketball team, which dropped to an even 2-2 on the season after falling to No. 9 Syracuse (5-0), 88-73, on Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome.

After nearly pulling off an upset for the ages last December, the Red certainly gave the Orange reason to worry –– and perhaps even an unsettling feeling of déjà vu –– as Cornell hit a barrage of 3’s in the opening stanza and entered the halftime period trailing by only six.

However, as the second frame progressed, the Red became increasingly frustrated by the Orange’s 2-3 zone defense –– committing 10 of its 17 turnovers in the final half and shooting just 38.9 percent from the field.

“We knew our task was going to be a tough one. ... [Cornell is] probably the most difficult team to play against zone that we’ll play,” said Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. “I think our guys did a tremendous job tonight, particularly the start of the second half, adjusting defensively. ... We did a good job finding their shooters.”

Indeed, after posting a career-high 33 points at the Carrier Dome almost a year ago, senior forward Ryan Wittman was not allowed nearly as many open looks by the Orange defense, yet still managed to knock down 19 points to finish second on the team. Instead, Tuesday proved a memorable night for Wittman for a different reason, as his third 3-pointer of the game gave him 282 for his career –– surpassing Princeton’s Brian Earl for the most in Ivy League history. Wittman also became the second player in Cornell history to reach the 1,500-point mark. Keep your eyes on me: Senior Ryan Wittman’s third 3-pointer against Syracuse last Tuesday gave him 282 for his career ­­­— surpassing Princeton’s Brian Earl for the most in Ivy League history.

The Red drew first blood in the contest, as senior guard Louis Dale drilled a 3 within the first 40 seconds of play; however, that would be all the scoring seen from Dale, who for the second straight game was held to well below his 11-point average.

“Unfortunately, Lou didn’t play two of his better games,” said Cornell head coach Steve Donahue. “I think he got a little frustrated early on –– this was a zone game, a little different than a regular game.”

Also for the second straight game, sophomore guard Chris Wroblewski demonstrated why he deserves the same level of attention as the Red’s more established veterans. After scoring a career-high 22 points against Seton Hall, Wroblewski followed up this breakout performance with a team-leading 20-point effort, 17 of which came in the first half. Wroblewski would finish the night with six treys, and shot a blistering 5-of-6 from downtown in the first 20 minutes.

“Chris is as good a player as we have. ... He does it on all stages,” Donahue said. “I think he got a little fatigued and missed open shots, but he kept getting them, and he’s creative in how he gets them –– he shot fakes, he moves the ball –– it’s not just them leaving him open. Obviously they came out and tried to stop him the second half.”

Five consecutive points by Wroblewski propelled Cornell to an 8-5 advantage, but Syracuse responded after the first media timeout with a dunk by senior forward Arinze Onuaku that brought the Orange to within one and the crowd to its feet. Over the next two minutes, the home team drained three 3’s, including a pair by senior guard Andy Rautins, who was 5-for-7 from beyond the arc en route to an 18-point night.

However, the Red reciprocated in kind with a pair of treys from senior guard Geoff Reeves and Wroblewski, along with a Jeff Foote put-back on a miss by Wittman. The senior center picked up his first double-double of the young season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and also contributed his team’s only block. Cornell found itself on top, 16-15, with 12:20 remaining, but a Red turnover allowed for a 3 from junior Wes Johnson –– an Iowa State transfer widely-considered one of the nation’s top forwards. Johnson would also end the night with a double-double, notching 15 points and 10 boards.

Syracuse extended its lead to five at 24-19, but Wroblewski’s fourth long-distance shot of the half kept things interesting. Cornell continued its hot streak from outside, as a Reeves 3-pointer brought the Red within one. Less than a minute later, Wittman hit his first 3 of the game with time expiring on the shot clock to put the visiting team up, 28-27.

Cornell would miss its next two 3-point attempts, enabling Syracuse to go on a 7-0 run that bolstered its lead to 34-28. The Red battled back to within 40-36 with 26 seconds remaining, but Johnson’s offensive rebound field goal off his own miss put the Orange ahead, 42-36, heading into the halftime period.

While the first half featured 11 lead changes, the second act was all Syracuse, as the Orange defense successfully derailed the Red’s attempts from beyond the arc –– limiting Cornell’s shooters to just 4-of-18.

“Our defense was key starting the second half,” Boeheim said. “Every time they made a 3, we came back and made a good possession, made a good play.”

The Orange padded its lead to nine at 50-41 on a pair of 3’s by Rautins –– his fourth –– and freshman guard Brandon Triche, who led both teams with a career-high 21 points. Triche converted a three-point play after being fouled, and Rautins contributed another 3 to hand Syracuse a 56-41 advantage. The lead would swell to as much as 20 before the Red answered with a run of its own.

“They took that six-point lead and put it up to 18-20 points pretty quickly. After that we started to execute on the defensive end,” Wittman said.

Freshman Errick Peck, who contributed eight points and six rebounds off the bench in only his fourth collegiate game, hit a layup and was fouled. Although Peck missed the free throw opportunity, Foote’s rebound off Rautins’ failed layup paved the way for Wittman’s history-tying 3-pointer. A dunk from Foote cut the deficit to 13, but that was as close as the Red would come to catching the Orange, who had its largest lead of the game at 23 with 6:52 remaining.

Wittman brought Cornell within 15 with his third and final trey of the game, but it proved too little too late as Syracuse ran out the clock en route to a comfortable 88-73 win.

The Orange shot 50.9 percent overall and was 9-of-18 from 3-point range for the game. While Cornell out-rebounded Syracuse, 36-35, the Orange held the advantage in blocks (8-1) and outnumbered the Red in fast break points, 22-2, which resulted from some costly Cornell turnovers –– including a stretch early in the second half where the visiting team turned the ball over on four straight possessions.

“I thought we executed the heck out of our offense in terms of finding open shots. ... Almost every possession where we needed a good look, we got it,” Donahue said. “That stretch where we turned the ball over was obviously the difference in the game, when they really extended their lead.”