This Day in Dome History: February 24
2/24/2006 4:13:57 PM | Men's Basketball, Dome 25
Syracuse University officially dedicated the Carrier Dome basketball floor in honor of head coach Jim Boeheim in appreciation of his outstanding contributions to the University, the athletics department and the men's basketball program on this date in 2002.
Long-time nemesis Georgetown took the luster off the dedication day by defeating Syracuse, 75-69, in front of 29,215 fans. James Thues led the Orange scoring with a career-high 17 points, including three key three-pointers that kept Syracuse in the game down the stretch.
Georgetown took its largest lead of the game, 45-35, after a layup by Gerald Riley with 11:41 left in the game. Thues responded with a shot from behind the arc to lead SU on a 14-4 run, which gave SU its first lead, 51-49, since the early minutes of the contest.
The Hoyas regained the advantage and held a six-point lead, 61-55, before Thues hit another three-pointer to bring SU within three, 61-58, at 3:14. After a dunk by Wesley Wilson, Thues connected on his fourth three-pointer to cut the margin to two, 63-61. Syracuse came within two again, 65-63, after senior Preston Shumpert hit two free throws before Hoyas scored five unanswered points to seal the win.
The Orange is 2-2 overall in games played in the Dome on this date. SU first played on this date in 1991, Billy Owens scored 33 points to lift the Orange past Pittsburgh, 89-68. John Wallace scored 19 points and J.B. Reafsnyder provided a spark off the bench with 18 points and 11 rebounds in Syracuse's 77-60 win against Pittsburgh in 1996. In 1998, the Orange lost a heartbreaker to St. John's, 67-65. Todd Burgan scored 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead SU.
In the first 25 years of the Dome, more than 1,740 events were staged, including collegiate, professional and high school athletics events, University commencement, concerts, a circus, and community events. These activities are chronicled in the more than 100 photographs that are currently in the concourse of the Dome. Fans who attend events in the Dome can re-live the memories with these photos.
