Syracuse University
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Edges the Orange, 91-89
12/8/2007 9:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange scored six players in double figures, but could not overcome Rhode Island's outside shooting attack en route to a 91-89 loss in front of a season-high 21,197 fans at the Carrier Dome on Saturday. Freshman point guard Jonny Flynn led the Syracuse attack with his second-career double-double, tallying a team-high 21 points and 10 assists.
With the score knotted at 84-84 and with 2:02 remaining in regulation, Syracuse forced Rhode Island's 18th turnover of the contest, springing an SU odd-man break. Flynn's feed to sophomore Paul Harris resulted in a lay-in and a foul, supplying the Orange with an 87-84 lead.
The Rams responded with senior Joe Mbang sinking two free throws and sophomore Lamonte Ulmer turning a loose ball into two points. After the Orange's ensuing possession came up empty, senior Will Daniels was whistled for an offensive charge, tallying his fifth and final foul.
Syracuse answered back with a play run for guard Eric Devendorf. The junior sharpshooter came off a ball-screen strong with a left-handed dribble, but his runner landed short. Parfait Bitee corralled the rebound and calmly sunk two free throws, extending the Rhode Island lead to 90-87 with 16.4 ticks remaining. Mbang extended the URI lead to two with two free throws after Flynn went coast-to-coast, pulling the Orange within one. Harris' last-second three-point attempt fell short.
Despite collecting his fourth foul at the 16:31 mark of the second half and spending more than 10 minutes on the bench, Devendorf recorded 15 points, including a team-high 12 in the first half. Freshman forward Donte' Greene, who fouled out with four minutes remaining, posted 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added four assists in the loss. Harris totaled 14 points and collected three assists.
Junior center Arinze Onuaku shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field on his way to 12 points and eight rebounds. Freshman forward Rick Jackson provided Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim with a spark off the Orange bench, registering a career-best 13 points and seven rebounds.
Syracuse last scored six players in double figures against Texas El-Paso almost 13 months ago. Devendorf (19), Harris (11), Josh Wright (10), and former Orange standouts Matt Gorman (12), Demetris Nichols (12) and Daryl Watkins (10) accomplished the feat against the Miners on November 12, 2006.
Sharpshooting junior guard Jimmy Baron led the Rhode Island offense with a team-best 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc. The Rams' 12-for-18 long-range barrage yielded a 66.7 percent shooting clip, matching an opponents' Carrier Dome record. Seton Hall connected on 10-of-15 three-point attempts in the Loud House on December 12, 1998.
Baron's 4-for-4 shooting display in the first three and a half minutes ignited the Rams to a 20-14 advantage early. Syracuse matched the Rams blistering outside shooting until the visitors' lead extended to 35-25 at the 8:50 mark of the first half. Senior guard Parfait Bitee, who posted eight points on 3-for-4 shooting at the break, totaled 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field.
Syracuse responded with a 19-6 run over the final five and a half minutes en route to a 47-43 halftime advantage. Greene's runner with slightly less than two minutes remaining, off a feed from Flynn, handed SU its first lead since the 11:05 mark.
Daniels, hampered by first half foul trouble, posted 16 points, including a critical three-point sequence that supplied URI with an 84-81 lead late in the second half. Ulmer tallied a double-double with 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
The Orange shot 53.7 percent from the field, surpassing the 50.0 percent plateau for the fifth time in nine outings this season.
Syracuse (6-3) embarks on a seven-day hiatus before welcoming East Tennessee State to the Carrier Dome on Saturday, December 15 at 7:00 p.m. Orange fans can catch SU against the Pirates on Time Warner 26 and on the Syracuse ISP network's flagship (99.5 FM).
Tickets for Orange home games may be purchased on-line (click here), over the phone (1-888-DOMETIX), or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office during normal business hours. Once again, fans will be able to receive their tickets immediately after their purchase, using the "Print At Home" delivery method. For additional information, fans can contact the Carrier Dome Box Office toll free (888-366-3849) or (315-443-2121).
