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Syracuse University
vs. Manhattan<br>(NCAA First Round)
Third-Seeded SU Defeats Manhattan, 76-65, in NCAA First Round
3/21/2003 2:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Syracuse Coach and Player Quotes
BOSTON - The Syracuse men's basketball team defeated Manhattan, 76-65 in No. 3 seed SU's first round NCAA Tournament game against 14th-seeded Manhattan at Boston's Fleet Center. The Orange (25-5) will face Oklahoma State on Sunday, March 23 at approximately 2:40 p.m. in Boston.
Four Syracuse players finished with double-digits in the scoring column. Freshman #Carmelo Anthony# led SU with 17 points. Classmates #Billy Edelin# and #Gerry McNamara# scored 15 and 11 points, respectively. As a class, Syracuse freshmen combined to score 57 percent of the team's points (43-of-76). Sophomore #Hakim Warrick# netted 10 points, all in the second half. Sophomore #Josh Pace# made all four of his field goal attempts for eight of SU's season-high 29 points off the bench. Senior #Kueth Duany# finished with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting. As a team, the Orangemen shot 57.7 percent from the floor (30-of-52).
Manhattan scored the first five points of the contest, as junior Luis Flores opened the scoring with a three-pointer. Duany gave the Orangemen their first lead of the afternoon, 7-5, four minutes into the game. Edelin connected on a layup at the 13:25 mark for two of his eight first-half points to give the Orange the lead for good, 13-12. Syracuse held a 35-31 advantage at halftime.
David Holmes cut the Orangemen's edge to two, 35-33, 1:15 into the second session. Warrick scored Syracuse's first six points of the half, including 4-of-4 at the foul line. He had his 10 points before the midway point of the period, connecting on his final layup of the game with 11:44 to play to put SU up 52-47. That basket started an 11-2 Syracuse run that was capped by a McNamara three-point bucket that gave the Orange a 61-49 edge. The Jaspers responded with a 7-0 tear that included four made free throws by USBWA All-District selection Luis Flores and pulled Manhattan to within five, 61-56. Anthony and Edelin scored SU's next 10 points to give SU a 71-61 advantage with three minutes on the clock. Pace made a layup at the 1:48 mark to put the game out of reach at 75-63.
The Orangemen will play Oklahoma State in the NCAA second round on Sunday, March 23 in the second game of the double-header. Syracuse's game will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game at approximately 2:40 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on CBS.
