Syracuse Uses Exceptional Performance From the Line to Beat Hofstra

Friday, December 22

Carrier Dome

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Hofstra

Eric Devendorf contributed a career-high 11 of Syracuse's 33 free throws

Syracuse Uses Exceptional Performance From the Line to Beat Hofstra

12/22/2006 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Coach Boeheim Quotes

SU Player Quotes

Syracuse, N.Y.-The 23rd-ranked Syracuse Orange (10-3) defeated Hofstra (6-4), 85-60, in a holiday weekend match up between New York state schools at the Carrier Dome. The difference in the game came at the free throw line where the Orange was 33-of-40. That is the most free throws in a single game since Syracuse was 39-of-48 in an overtime win against St. John's on March 4, 2001. In the second half, 26 of Syracuse's 44 points came from the charity stripe, including 19-straight at one point. Syracuse is now 4-0 against teams from the Empire State this year.

Demetris Nichols led the Orange for the fifth-straight game with 20 points. Eric Devendorf scored 16, including a career-high 11 free throws. Josh Wright and Paul Harris chipped in 12 points apiece. Darryl Watkins pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and Harris added eight of his own. Justin Thomas hit a jumper in the final minutes for his first points at Syracuse.

Hofstra jumped out to a 7-3 lead as Syracuse missed its first three shots from the floor and its only offense came from a trio of free throws. Andy Rautins took a pass from Wright at the top of the key and nailed a three-pointer to pull the Orange within one. After a rebound by Watkins, Wright took the ball down the court and when no one came up to guard him, he hit a triple to give Syracuse its first lead of the game, 9-7, with less than 16 minutes left in the first half.

Neither team could build a lead of larger than three points over the next four minutes of play. Carlos Rivera made a layup to give the Pride a 21-19 edge, but that would be the last field goal for Hofstra for more than seven minutes. Syracuse had five different players contribute points during a 10-3 run as its lead stretched to 29-24 at the 5:00 mark.

Loren Stokes, who did not start in the game due to flu-like symptoms, made a layup to end the field goal drought for the Pride. Wright and Rautins started another run with back-to-back threes. Rautins then found Nichols on the fastbreak and he banked in a jumper to give the Orange its biggest lead of the half, 39-26.

Matt Gorman made a pair of three-pointers to lead the Orange on a 9-2 run in the first four minutes of the second half to extend its lead to 20 points, 50-30. Syracuse's first three field goals of the half were from long range. The Orange then went to the charity stripe to extend its lead. Gorman, Harris and Devendorf combined for six-consecutive free throws to put Syracuse up by 24, 59-35, with 13:33 left.

Devendorf's layup at 7:46 was Syracuse's first two-point field goal of the second half and snapped a string of 18-consecutive points from foul shots for the Orange. After three more free throws, Nichols nailed a fadeaway triple to secure his fifth-consecutive 20 point effort.

Rivera, Stokes, and Antoine Agudio, the highly-touted trio of guards for the Pride, combined for 52 of Hofstra's 60 points. Agudio had a game-high 22, while Stokes and Rivera added 19 and 11, respectively. Hofstra shot just 33 percent from the field in the game.

Syracuse is back in action on Saturday, December 30, when it hosts St. Bonaventure at 7:00 p.m.