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SYRACUSE, NY -- Head coach Jim Boeheim became the 18th Division I head coach to reach 700 career wins and #15/15 Syracuse's "Senior Day" went off without a hitch, capped by a 91-66 SU 24-5, 11-4) victory against Providence (12-16, 2-12) in the Carrier Dome. A crowd of 32,804, the second largest of the season in college basketball, celebrated the final home game of SU seniors Craig Forth, Josh Pace and Hakim Warrick.
Warrick tallied a career-high in points for the second consecutive game, this time by scoring 36 against the Friars. Warrick was 12-of-17 from the field and 12-of-13 from the line. Support came from Terrence Roberts, who contributed his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Gerry McNamara had 14 points and 10 assists and Josh Pace added 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. Forth got into the act with six points, three rebounds and two blocks, all in the second half.
Boeheim reached the 700 club in 939 games, becoming the fifth fastest to reach the milestone. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski accomplished the mark earlier this season in his 940th contest as a head coach. Boeheim is also only the seventh coach to win 700 games at one institution.
Syracuse took the early 10-4 lead during the opening three minutes with seven points coming from Warrick. The Orange took its largest advantage of the first half at the 13:24 mark, 18-6, as Warrick scored four more to put him in double figures.
Providence, led by Randall Hanke, chipped away at the Orange's margin until Syracuse led by one, 22-21, with 8:54 remaining in the first period. Hanke scored 10 points during the Friars 15-4 run. Providence later tied the game at the four-minute mark, 33-33, on a three from Ryan Gomes.
The Orange ended the stanza on a 7-3 run, which included a McNamara three sandwiched between two Roberts layups. Syracuse led at halftime, 40-36, and both Warrick and Pace were in double digit scoring, Warrick with 15 points and Pace with 11.
The Friars used the first 30 seconds of the second half to again come within one point of the Orange, 40-39, after Hanke converted a three-point play. The Orange extended the margin, 60-50, at the 13:20 mark with Warrick contributing 10 of the Orange's points during the 20-11 run, including four dunks.
With 11:51 to play in the contest, Syracuse led Providence by five, 62-57, when the Orange used a 16-5 run during the next five minutes to separate itself from the Friars. Syracuse ended the contest with its largest advantage of the game, 91-66.Â
The large crowd helped Syracuse clinch its first NCAA Division I attendance title since the 1994-95 season. SU finishes the season with a game average of 22,978. Kentucky has one home game left but a capacity crowd out that game would not push the Wildcat average past the Orange.
Ryan Gomes was Providence's leading scorer with 21 points and six boards. Hanke finished with 17 points and four blocks, while Rob McKiver contributed 11 points for the Friars.
The Orange finishes the regular season next Saturday, March 5 at Connecticut.
