Dec 21, 2002
By JOHN KEKIS
AP Sports Writer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Gerry McNamara scored 25 points and Carmelo Anthony added 24 as Syracuse hit Georgia Tech with a barrage of 10 3-pointers in the first half and beat the Yellow Jackets 92-65 on Saturday.
It was the sixth straight victory for Syracuse (6-1) and easily its most impressive. The only losses the Yellow Jackets (5-3) had suffered had each been by one point.
Anthony also had 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. McNamara, who hit five 3s, also had a season-high 10 assists, Kueth Duany had 16 points, and Hakim Warrick 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Orangemen.
B.J. Elder led Georgia Tech with 14 points, Chris Bosh had 12 points and seven rebounds, and Luke Schenscher had a season-high 10 points.
This figured to be the sternest test of the season for Syracuse, which lost its season opener to Memphis. Georgia Tech could easily have entered the game unbeaten – the Yellow Jackets lost 64-63 in early December to then-No. 20 Minnesota on a basket with nine seconds left and 70-69 last Sunday to Tennessee on a desperation half-court shot by Jon Higgins with a half-second left.
So, when Elder hit a 3 and Ed Nelson converted a three-point play to put the Orangemen behind 6-0 in the first 85 seconds and Anthony missed his first three shots against Tech’s pressure defense, there was concern on the Syracuse bench.
It didn’t last long. After Elder’s second 3-pointer gave Georgia Tech an 11-4 lead at 15:53, McNamara and Warrick led Syracuse on a 17-0 run in a 5:27 span that stunned the Yellow Jackets. Unable to penetrate effectively inside and unable to beat the Syracuse zone with their strong perimeter game, they never recovered.
Warrick began the burst with a follow off his own miss and McNamara hit his first 3-pointer after Warrick blocked a 3-pointer by Elder. McNamara had nine points – all on 3-pointers – and Warrick added six.
The Syracuse spurt ended when Jeremy McNeil was called for goaltending at 10:26. Anthony then regained his touch, hitting his first 3-pointer with 9:57 left to give Syracuse a 24-13 lead.
Syracuse, which missed seven of its first 11 shots, hit 20 of its final 33 attempts to forge a 58-25 halftime lead. A 3 by McNamara midway through the second half gave the Orangemen their biggest lead, 83-43. The Orangemen finished shooting 45.1 percent and held Georgia Tech to 37.7 percent.
In an 88-66 win over Troy State on Tuesday night, Georgia Tech broke open a tight game with five 3s in the first five minutes of the second half and made 14 of 24 from long range in the game. Against Syracuse, the Yellow Jackets, who had been taking more than 30 3-pointers a game, were 6-for-17 on 3s.
