McNamara Breaks SU Single-Season Three-Point Field Goal Record in BIG EAST Tournament Loss

Thursday, March 11

Madison Square Garden

2:00 p.m. (ESPN2)

Syracuse University

Boston College

Gerry McNamara

McNamara Breaks SU Single-Season Three-Point Field Goal Record in BIG EAST Tournament Loss

3/11/2004 4:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEW YORK, NY - Sophomore guard Gerry McNamara is Syracuse University's single-season three-point field goals record holder with 89 this year. He hit four in fourth-seeded SU's 57-54 loss to fifth-seeded Boston College in the quarterfinals of the 2004 BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden. McNamara led the #19/23 Orangemen (21-7 overall) with 15 points in the game.

McNamara broke Preston Shumpert's three-point field goal record of 88, which Shumpert set in 2001-02, with a three-pointer that gave SU a 10-point lead, 41-31, with 14:48 remaining in the game. The Eagles (23-8) responded with a 6-0 run in the next 2:15 to cut the SU lead to four, 41-37. After a jump shot by SU's Hakim Warrick, Eagles center Craig Smith scored nine straight points for BC, which outscored the Orangemen 14-10 in the next nine minutes to tie the game at 51 with 2:51 left to play.

Boston College's Jared Dudley hit two free throws to give the Eagles their first lead of the game, 55-54, with 37.5 seconds left to play. Then Smith scored two of his game-high 22 points on two free throws with six seconds left to give the Eagles their three-point margin of victory. McNamara's three-point field goal attempt to tie the game bounced off the back of the rim at the buzzer.

McNamara is currently tied for fourth on SU's career three-point field goals record list with 175 (DeShaun Williams, 175, 1999-02). Shumpert holds the record with 249.

Warrick finished the game with 12 points, while junior Josh Pace scored 12 points and led SU with seven rebounds. SU blocked 10 of the Eagles' shots, increasing its season total to 192 (6.86 per game), which ranks second nationally. Senior center Jeremy McNeil and Warrick each had three rejections. McNeil ranks fifth on SU's career blocked shots record list with 253 in 132 games.

Prior to the BIG EAST quarterfinal game, SU was 7-0 when its opponent scored less than 60 points. SU head coach Jim Boeheim ranks 19^th on the all-time Division I coaching list for victories with 674, which is one shy of Denny Crum, who is in 18^th place with 675 wins.