TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Trevor Cooney couldn’t buy a bucket.

He started the game 1-of-6 overall and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. But when Syracuse desperately needed to score, Cooney delivered two critical 3s, one right after the other.

Cooney turned a one-point game into a 53-46 lead by nailing two triples in just more than a minute. The No. 7 Orange (27-4, 14-4 Atlantic Coast) surged by Florida State (18-12, 9-9) to seize a 74-58 win Sunday afternoon.

“It’s just about keeping on playing,” Cooney said. “It’s what I’ve been doing my whole career and what I’ll continue to do.”

Cooney has made just 11 of his last 51 3s and has drawn ire from many Syracuse fans that have high expectations for the shooter. He shot just 2-of-8 from downtown on Sunday and 3-of-13 overall.

Yet just as Florida State started to chip away at the lead and make it a game again, Cooney responded. Missing shots is something Cooney’s used to. He knows he’ll eventually make them, which is why he keeps shooting.

“On the first one, C.J. (Fair) got him open,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “Shooters have to shoot.”

That one from the top of the key bumped the lead to four before the under-12 timeout.

Just 63 seconds later, Cooney had little space to operate in the corner. He jabbed at Ian Miller, who pressed off him slightly. Cooney drained it.

Even though Cooney struggled, Boeheim liked the fact that he was aggressively attacking the basket and said he played well overall.

Cooney said a few of his shots that normally rolled in swirled around the rim and out. It’s just a matter of getting the bounce, not a product of the way he’s playing overall, which is why he’s confident he can hit shots going forward.

“I think next game I’ll get a roll or two,” Cooney said.

Published on March 9, 2014 at 9:55 pm

Contact Trevor: [email protected] | @TrevorHass