Jimcs50
03-09-2006, 03:28 PM
Syracuse bolsters dance bid, upends UConn in OT
NEW YORK (AP) -- Gerry McNamara is making his final Big East tournament one to remember.
The senior guard led Syracuse to an 86-84 overtime victory over No. 1 Connecticut on Thursday in the quarterfinals, tying the game on a 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds left in regulation and helping the Orange end any talk about whether or not they deserve an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
On Wednesday, his 3 with less than a second to play gave ninth-seeded Syracuse (21-11) a 74-73 victory over Cincinnati.
He topped that performance in the quarterfinals by scoring 17 points and handing out 13 assists, one short of the tournament record.
The loss shouldn't affect the No. 1 seed expected to go to Connecticut (27-3), but it ended a 10-game winning streak in the Big East quarterfinals for the Huskies, the regular season co-champions with Villanova.
Syracuse, the defending champions in this tournament, will play the winner of the game between No. 23 Georgetown and Marquette in Friday night's semifinals.
The Orange, who lost twice to Connecticut during the season, led 39-28 at halftime and a 3 by McNamara extended the lead to 39-35 with 16:43 to go. The Huskies, who trailed 10-0 just 2:30 into the game, started chipping away and were within 62-56 with 7:24 to play.
McNamara hit a 3 to restore the lead to nine points, but Connecticut tied the game with a 9-0 run capped by four free throws by Hilton Armstrong.
Rashad Anderson's 3-pointer with 32 seconds left in regulation gave Connecticut the lead for the first time, 72-71.
Josh Wright missed a shot with 12 seconds left -- McNamara could be heard complaining he didn't touch the ball on the possession -- and Denham Brown made two free throws with 11 seconds left to make it 74-71.
McNamara took the inbound pass -- something Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun had implored his team to not let happen -- and he dribbled to just outside the 3-point line and drilled his third 3 of the game to tie it.
Marcus Williams of Connecticut missed a jumper from the free-throw line as time expired.
Syracuse took the lead for good at 79-78 on Darryl Watkins' three-point play with 3:20 to go. Demetris Nichols and McNamara each made two free throws to extend the lead to five points, but Brown hit a 3 with 28 seconds left.
Watkins, a 50 percent free throw shooter, made two 2 seconds later and Brown hit another 3 with 18 seconds left to make it 85-84.
McNamara, a 91 percent free throw shooter who was 7-for-7 at that point of the game, then made one of two with 17 seconds to go and the Huskies still had a chance. Williams' jumper from the foul line with 9 seconds left rattled in and out and the ball was tied up, with possession going to Connecticut. Williams had another jumper at the buzzer but it bounced off the rim.
While his teammates started celebrating on the court, McNamara stood off by himself looking exhausted after playing 41 minutes. Terrence Roberts ran over and picked him up. McNamara then fell into his teammates' arms rather than hugging them.
Nichols also had 17 points for Syracuse, which had five starters in double figures. Roberts had 16, Watkins 14 and Eric Devendorf 13.
Brown had 20 points for the Huskies, while Williams had 17 points and 11 assists. Armstrong added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Gerry McNamara is making his final Big East tournament one to remember.
The senior guard led Syracuse to an 86-84 overtime victory over No. 1 Connecticut on Thursday in the quarterfinals, tying the game on a 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds left in regulation and helping the Orange end any talk about whether or not they deserve an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
On Wednesday, his 3 with less than a second to play gave ninth-seeded Syracuse (21-11) a 74-73 victory over Cincinnati.
He topped that performance in the quarterfinals by scoring 17 points and handing out 13 assists, one short of the tournament record.
The loss shouldn't affect the No. 1 seed expected to go to Connecticut (27-3), but it ended a 10-game winning streak in the Big East quarterfinals for the Huskies, the regular season co-champions with Villanova.
Syracuse, the defending champions in this tournament, will play the winner of the game between No. 23 Georgetown and Marquette in Friday night's semifinals.
The Orange, who lost twice to Connecticut during the season, led 39-28 at halftime and a 3 by McNamara extended the lead to 39-35 with 16:43 to go. The Huskies, who trailed 10-0 just 2:30 into the game, started chipping away and were within 62-56 with 7:24 to play.
McNamara hit a 3 to restore the lead to nine points, but Connecticut tied the game with a 9-0 run capped by four free throws by Hilton Armstrong.
Rashad Anderson's 3-pointer with 32 seconds left in regulation gave Connecticut the lead for the first time, 72-71.
Josh Wright missed a shot with 12 seconds left -- McNamara could be heard complaining he didn't touch the ball on the possession -- and Denham Brown made two free throws with 11 seconds left to make it 74-71.
McNamara took the inbound pass -- something Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun had implored his team to not let happen -- and he dribbled to just outside the 3-point line and drilled his third 3 of the game to tie it.
Marcus Williams of Connecticut missed a jumper from the free-throw line as time expired.
Syracuse took the lead for good at 79-78 on Darryl Watkins' three-point play with 3:20 to go. Demetris Nichols and McNamara each made two free throws to extend the lead to five points, but Brown hit a 3 with 28 seconds left.
Watkins, a 50 percent free throw shooter, made two 2 seconds later and Brown hit another 3 with 18 seconds left to make it 85-84.
McNamara, a 91 percent free throw shooter who was 7-for-7 at that point of the game, then made one of two with 17 seconds to go and the Huskies still had a chance. Williams' jumper from the foul line with 9 seconds left rattled in and out and the ball was tied up, with possession going to Connecticut. Williams had another jumper at the buzzer but it bounced off the rim.
While his teammates started celebrating on the court, McNamara stood off by himself looking exhausted after playing 41 minutes. Terrence Roberts ran over and picked him up. McNamara then fell into his teammates' arms rather than hugging them.
Nichols also had 17 points for Syracuse, which had five starters in double figures. Roberts had 16, Watkins 14 and Eric Devendorf 13.
Brown had 20 points for the Huskies, while Williams had 17 points and 11 assists. Armstrong added 14 points and 10 rebounds.