Syracuse has dramatically improved its 3-point shooting: credit Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney

Syracuse basketball 2014-15: Syracuse vs Wake Forest

Syracuse's Trevor Cooney shoots a 3-pointer during the first half of a game against Wake Forest on Jan. 13, 2015, at the Carrier Dome. (Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)

Syracuse, N.Y. — With his team trailing Wake Forest 65-62 late in Tuesday's game in the Carrier Dome, Trevor Cooney collected a pass in the deep corner, took a dribble with a defender closing and sank a 3-point shot that tied the game.

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim would later term that 3-pointer "a really hard shot to make."

"I created space. It was a tough shot," Cooney said later, after his team defeated Wake 86-83 in overtime. "Thank God it went in."

The Orange, at one time this season the worst Division I 3-point shooting team in America, has markedly improved from the deep perimeter. SU shot 43 percent (9-of-21) from the 3-point line Tuesday night. Cooney was 5-of-12, Michael Gbinije was 3-for-5 and Ron Patterson sank 1-of-3.

Cooney and Gbinije have spurred the shooting renaissance. Their improved shooting from the 3-point line has lifted SU to No. 222 nationally in 3-point shooting at 33 percent. The contrast over these past nine games is stark. SU is 8-1 over that stretch:

First eight games:

(*Gbinije missed SU's opener)

Trevor Cooney: 13-for-46 (28 percent)
Mike Gbinije: 3-for-21 (14 percent)

Last nine games

Trevor Cooney: 34-for-74 (46 percent)
Mike Gbinije: 17-for-27 (63 percent)

"We just kept shooting," Cooney said. "It's gotta go in sometimes. Guys on this team work hard. They stick around. They shoot after practice. And when you do that, you start to make some shots. You make a couple and you just keep shooting. That's what we're going to do, keep shooting."

Syracuse's Michael Gbinije (0) hits a big shot in the second half of the Syracuse-Wake Forest game at the Carrier Dome, Jan 13, 2015. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Gbinije, asked last season to describe his best basketball attribute, selected his shooting stroke. Last season, the versatile forward/guard sank 35 percent of his 3-point shots, but attempted just 43 of them. This season, with 14 more regular-season games left, Gbinije is 20-of-48 from the 3-point line for a team-best 42 percent.

He sank a pivotal 3-pointer Tuesday, coming off a screen set by Rakeem Christmas with 2:07 left in overtime to pad the Orange lead to 79-75.

"We're all getting shots up at practice and after practice," Gbinije said. "I think the ball movement is better now. At the beginning of the season I felt it was one pass, shoot the three. Whereas now, we're going into Rock and he's scoring down low and attracting double-teams. I think the patience on offense has been better for us."

Cooney and Gbinije each credited the defensive attention on Christmas as a factor in their 3-point shooting performances. But early in the season, Christmas attracted some of that same defensive pressure and SU shooters failed to capitalize.

These days, Cooney and Gbinije are sinking open 3-point shots. They're making the difficult ones, too.

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