Syracuse University
Pittsburgh
#8/9 Pittsburgh Stops Syracuse, 66-45
1/24/2004 10:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The #13/16 Syracuse men's basketball team (13-3, 3-2) lost 66-45 to #8/9 Pittsburgh (19-1, 5-1) in front of a season-high 31,347 fans at the Carrier Dome on Jan. 24. The Panthers have won five of the last six meetings with the Orangemen.
The crowd was the 33rd largest in Carrier Dome history and the 57th 30,000-plus fan turnout since the Dome opened in 1980-81.
Junior #Hakim Warrick# recorded his fifth double-double in the last six games with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore #Gerry McNamara# added eight points and freshman #Darryl Watkins# played season-high 17 minutes and tied his career-best with four blocked shots. Junior #Craig Forth# contributed three rejections to pass Danny Schayes for eighth on SU's all-blocked shots list and has 141 swats in his career.
The Panthers took a 20-15 lead at the 7:06 mark of the first half on a jumper by Jaron Brown. The Orangemen then went on a 7-0 run during the next 2:57 to take a one-point advantage, 21-20. Pittsburgh responded with a 7-0 streak of its own recapture the lead. Brown notched five points during the stretch and Carl Krauser capped the run with a layup at 1:36. Two free throws by Warrick and a layup by the Panthers' Chevon Troutman gave Pittsburgh a 29-23 margin at the half.
The Pittsburgh defense limited SU to just eight field goals in the second half and the Orange's first bucket of the period didn't come until 15:41. Pittsburgh extended its lead during that time to 34-27. With the score 36-27, Mark McCarroll tallied five consecutive points to put the Panthers ahead by 11, 41-30 with 13:06 left on the clock. A dunk by the Panthers' Torree Morris extended their advantage to 18 and a McCarroll three with 4:41 to go made the score 60-40.
McCarroll and Chris Taft led the Panthers with 15 points each, and Chevon Troutman added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The 45 points represented SU's lowest scoring output since it managed 41 in a loss to No. 11 Kansas, 71-41 on Dec. 14, 1968. Pittsburgh's defense held SU to 27.3 percent shooting (15-of-55). It's the first time SU has been held under 30 percent from the floor since Jan. 2, 1997 at Notre Dame. In that contest the Orangemen connected on just 18-of-65 field goals (.227).
The Panthers also outrebounded the Orange 50-36 and bested SU in the paint 40-18.
Syracuse made a season-low 11-of-25 free-throws (.440) and was 7-of-19 in the second frame.
The Orangemen will take on Virginia Tech at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m.
