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Syracuse University
vs. Connecticut (BET Semifinals)
Anthony's 29 Not Enough In 80-67 Loss To UConn
3/14/2003 11:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – USBWA Freshman of the Year #Carmelo Anthony# scored 29 points for the second time this season against the Huskies, but for the second time Anthony and the #11 Orangemen (24-5) came up short as Connecticut came away with an 80-67 win in the BIG EAST semifinals on Friday at Madison Square Garden. With the victory, UConn earned the right to defend its 2002 BIG EAST title against Pittsburgh on Saturday at 8:00 p.m.
The match-up featured two of the nation's top shot-blockers, Syracuse's #Jeremy McNeil# and UConn's Emeka Okafor, who averaged 2.8 and 4.8 blocks per game, respectively, entering the contest. McNeil won the defensive battle against the Huskies, swatting away a BIG EAST Tournament-record eight shots to Okafor's six. McNeil tied former Orangeman Etan Thomas' record, set against St. John's in 1998. McNeil owns the seventh-highest blocked shots total by an Orangeman in one season with 87 (3.0 bpg). Thomas' 138 blocks (3.9 bpg) in 1997-98 is the Syracuse standard.
Anthony finished with his 19th double-double of the season and tied his career high with 15 rebounds. He scored his last 10 points between the 11:37 and 7:44 marks in the second half, a span of four minutes, but his efforts couldn't close the gap Connecticut had created. Sophomore #Hakim Warrick# was the only other Orangemen who scored in double figures. He finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, including 11 caroms on the offensive glass. Freshman #Billy Edelin# scored eight points off the bench, and senior #Kueth Duany# netted six.
The Orangemen, who have come from behind in the second half 13 times this season to win, found themselves facing a 19-point deficit, their largest of the season, 66-47 with 10:07 left in the second session. SU had its worst shooting game of the season, 28.8 percent (23-of-80) from the floor. Its previous low was against the Huskies on Feb. 10, 29.9 percent (20-of-67). Syracuse also tied its season low for three-point field goal shooting, 11.1 percent (2-of-18). SU shot 1-for-9 at Rutgers on Jan. 29, a game that resulted in one of the Orange's five losses on the season.
Connecticut's Rashad Anderson netted the first three-point bucket of the game on the opening possession, and the Huskies never relinquished the lead. UConn opened up a 24-9 advantage midway through the first period before Syracuse made it's first run of the game, 12-0, to cut Connecticut's edge to four, 26-22, with four minutes to play. That was the closest the Orange would come the remainder of the game as UConn's quick transition offense and 43.3 percent field-goal shooting (29-of-67) helped the Huskies to secure the win. Connecticut also grabbed the most rebounds, 54, of any other SU opponent this season.
Although Syracuse no longer has a chance at the BIG EAST's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that goes with the league's tournament title, the Orange will probably receive an at-large bid from the NCAA selection committee. The national tournament brackets will be announced on Sunday, Mar. 16.
