Orange Comes Up Short as Hoyas Hang On for 64-62 OT Win

Monday, January 21

Verizon Center

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Georgetown

Jonny Flynn had 24 points at Georgetown to pace the Orange.

Orange Comes Up Short as Hoyas Hang On for 64-62 OT Win

1/21/2008 9:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Orange (13-7, 3-4) took #9/9 Georgetown (15-2, 5-1) down to the wire, but freshman Jonny Flynn's (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime rimmed out and the Hoyas (15-2, 5-1) held on for a 64-62 victory Monday, Jan. 21 at the Verizon Center.

The Hoyas limited the Orange to just two points in the final seven minutes, including overtime, and outscored SU 4-2 in the extra session to clinch the win.

The Orange's cold shooting down the stretch opened to the door for Georgetown to rally back from a seven-point deficit with less than five minutes to play in regulation. SU hit just two of its seven attempts from the field in the last five minutes of the second half and was 0-for-6 from the field in overtime.

With the Orange in front, 58-51, Jeremiah Rivers and Roy Hibbert each sank two free throws to cut the lead to three, 58-55, with 2:54 left in the second half. SU pushed the lead back to five on a driving layup by rookie Donte' Greene (Baltimore, Md.) at the two-minute mark that turned out to be its final field goal of the contest, but Georgetown's Jessie Sapp scored five points in a row to tie the game at 60 with 1:12 to play.

Both teams had opportunities to win the game in regulation. Flynn's 3-point try on SU's final possession of the second stanza was off the mark. The Hoyas grabbed the rebound and called timeout with 3.3 second left to set up their own game-winning attempt, but Austin Freeman's heave as time expired was long.

In overtime, the Hoyas turned the ball over on their first two possessions, but the Orange couldn't capitalize and the game remained knotted at 60. Sapp connected on two charity shots with 3:30 left, and Hibbert scored in the lane with a minute remaining, to put the Hoyas ahead, 64-60.

Greene got fouled while taking a three with 43 seconds on the clock. He made 2-of-3 to pull the Orange within one possession.

Trailing by two with the ball, head coach Jim Boeheim called timeout with 10 seconds to go to set up a play, but after trying to get in the lane, Flynn settled for a deep three that rattled out as the final horn sounded.

Flynn scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Orange. It was his third straight 20-point game. Center Arinze Onuaku (Lanham, Md.) recorded his seventh double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He also dished out a career-best five assists. Greene contributed 15 points, 12 of which came in the second half, and had nine boards. Sophomore Paul Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) also had a solid night on the glass, pulling down 10 rebounds.

After trailing by as many as 11 in the first half, and down 36-29 at the intermission, Syracuse asserted itself in the paint in the second half to get back in the game. Onuaku scored the Orange's first six points of the period down low, keying a 9-2 SU spurt that sliced the Hoyas' margin to two, 40-38, with 14:37 to play.

Greene, who scored just three points in the opening period, gave SU its first lead since the 11-minute mark of the opening stanza on a layup with 10:30 left, 45-44. After a DaJuan Summers hoop, Flynn hit a jumper and buried a three to push the Orange lead to 50-46.

A 3-pointer by Georgetown's Jonathan Wallace got the Hoyas within one, but the Orange scored eight of the game's next 10 points to claim its largest lead, 58-51. SU cooled off from the field after that, allowing Georgetown to come from behind to force overtime and eventually escape with the victory.

Wallace and Hibbert paced the Hoyas with 15 points each. Hibbert also had nine rebounds. Sapp also finished in double figures for Georgetown with 13 points.

Flynn kept the Orange in the game early, scoring 14 of the team's 29 points in the first half, including SU's last five points of the period to get SU within seven at the intermission after the Hoyas built a 35-24 margin.

Georgetown held the advantage at the free-throw line in the contest, making 10 of its 14 attempts (.714). The Orange connected on just 9-of-18 (.500) charity shots. Onuaku was 2-for-6 in the game and missed four in a row in overtime that would have given Syracuse the lead.

The Orange will try and bounce back on Sunday, Jan. 27 when it returns to the Carrier Dome to host Providence. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN Regional.