Spring Break
The Daily OrangeGerry sinks Hoyas at buzzer to save SU
By Chico Harlan
Posted: 2/23/04, 1:58 AM EST Section: Sports
During a timeout late in the half, Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins pulled McNamara aside. "Remember last year," Hopkins told him.
That cued the mental flashback. To last season, when McNamara, also against Georgetown, missed seven of his first eight shots only to hit his last four. To last season, when Syracuse made a habit of chin-rattling comebacks and memorable finishes. To last season, when things almost always turned out as desired.
Suddenly, McNamara had it, and at just the right time. Barely more than five minutes remained, and Syracuse trailed one of the Big East's poorest teams by six points. Then McNamara hit a deep 3, cutting the lead in half. Next possession, after a Hoya bucket, McNamara sank another from the right side of the arc, drawing a foul in the process. After he converted the free throw, Syracuse trailed by one, 49-48.
With that, the crowd of 15,389 - roughly half composed of Syracuse fans - cheered lustily. As this rivalry game arched into its denouement, it had finally discovered its characteristic and classic drama.
To start, few Georgetown-Syracuse games had ever been marked by such unsightliness. The Orangemen accounted for a season-high 25 turnovers, and many of those were unforced. By halftime, they'd managed just 22 points. Their scoring leader at that point? A three-way tie between Hakim Warrick, Josh Pace and McCroskey - all of whom had five points.
"It was the small mistakes," Warrick said, who finished with a game-high 19 points. "Dropping easy passes. Throwing passes away."
Said Boeheim: "The whole game, offensively, we just couldn't get anything going, just making unforced turnovers. When we got shots, we weren't making them."
Mercifully for Syracuse, Georgetown matched the sloppiness. Georgetown shot 27.7 percent, and even the Hoyas' established scorers - Gerald Riley and Brandon Bowman - looked like liabilities.
"It's like dental surgery, watching (those) misses," Georgetown coach Craig Esherick said.
That cued the mental flashback. To last season, when McNamara, also against Georgetown, missed seven of his first eight shots only to hit his last four. To last season, when Syracuse made a habit of chin-rattling comebacks and memorable finishes. To last season, when things almost always turned out as desired.
Suddenly, McNamara had it, and at just the right time. Barely more than five minutes remained, and Syracuse trailed one of the Big East's poorest teams by six points. Then McNamara hit a deep 3, cutting the lead in half. Next possession, after a Hoya bucket, McNamara sank another from the right side of the arc, drawing a foul in the process. After he converted the free throw, Syracuse trailed by one, 49-48.
With that, the crowd of 15,389 - roughly half composed of Syracuse fans - cheered lustily. As this rivalry game arched into its denouement, it had finally discovered its characteristic and classic drama.
To start, few Georgetown-Syracuse games had ever been marked by such unsightliness. The Orangemen accounted for a season-high 25 turnovers, and many of those were unforced. By halftime, they'd managed just 22 points. Their scoring leader at that point? A three-way tie between Hakim Warrick, Josh Pace and McCroskey - all of whom had five points.
"It was the small mistakes," Warrick said, who finished with a game-high 19 points. "Dropping easy passes. Throwing passes away."
Said Boeheim: "The whole game, offensively, we just couldn't get anything going, just making unforced turnovers. When we got shots, we weren't making them."
Mercifully for Syracuse, Georgetown matched the sloppiness. Georgetown shot 27.7 percent, and even the Hoyas' established scorers - Gerald Riley and Brandon Bowman - looked like liabilities.
"It's like dental surgery, watching (those) misses," Georgetown coach Craig Esherick said.
