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Syracuse University
vs. Auburn<br>(NCAA East Regional Semifinal)
Boeheim Gets Win #650 And SU Is Headed To Elite 8
3/28/2003 11:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ALBANY, N.Y. - Syracuse head coach #Jim Boeheim# notched the 650th win of his career as Syracuse held on to defeat Auburn, 79-78, to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament "Elite 8" and a date with Oklahoma in the East Regional Final on Sunday in Albany's Pepsi Arena. Boeheim has the seventh-most wins among active Division I coaches, and with 35 NCAA Tournament victories, he ranks eighth all-time in tourney wins.
The Orangemen held leads of as much as 17 points, 33-16, with four minutes remaining in the first half. However, in the second half, Auburn's Marquis Daniels and Nathan Watson took control of the game. The duo combined for 33 of the Tigers' 51 second-half points, including 20 of their first 25. Daniels, who finished with a game-high 27, had 14 points in the first nine minutes after intermission.
Auburn chipped away at SU's 10-point halftime lead, 37-27, pulling within two, 41-39, on an 8-0 run within a two minute span. The Orange regained a seven-point edge, 46-39, 30 seconds later. Syracuse's biggest lead the remainder of the half came after back-to-back buckets by sophomore #Hakim Warrick# made it 54-45 with 11:25 on the clock. Daniels scored six points as the Tigers cut the SU advantage to four, 59-55, at the eight-minute mark. Freshman #Carmelo Anthony# (www.suathletics.com/carmelo) scored seven-straight points to give Syracuse an eight-point cushion, 68-60, with less than five minutes to play.
After freshman #Billy Edelin# connected on 3-of-4 free throws in the final two minutes, the Tigers made one last push as Watson hit the first of his three trifectas in the last 90 seconds. Senior #Kueth Duany# made four crucial free throws with the clock showing less than 30 seconds, and sophomore Josh Pace made his second dunk of the game to keep the Tigers at bay.
Anthony's 18 points paced the Orange, and he grabbed eight rebounds. Warrick finished with 15 points, and Pace had a season-high 14. Duany netted eight of his 12 points in the first five minutes of the contest, and he finished with five caroms. Freshman #Gerry McNamara# finished with nine points, all in the first half.
The Orangemen tip off against the #6/3 Sooners at 2:40 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be televised on CBS.
