.png)
Syracuse University
Providence
Orange Pulls Away Down the Stretch, Bests BIG EAST foe Providence, 71-64
1/27/2008 4:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
Coach Boeheim Quotes
Syracuse Player Quotes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Freshman forward Donte' Greene totaled a game-high 24 points as the Orange pulled away down the stretch for a 71-64 victory against BIG EAST foe Providence in front of 23,309 fans at the Carrier Dome on Sunday. With the win, Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim matches legendary coach Henry Iba and UConn's Jim Calhoun with 764 career coaching victories, good for 10th on the NCAA Division I all-time list.
With the score tied at 56 and 2:26 remaining, Boeheim utilized a 30-second timeout as the Orange struggled to find its way into an offensive set. The SU break turned fruitful after Greene's 24-foot three-point basket broke the game's stalemate and supplied Syracuse a lead it would never relinquish.
Freshman point guard Jonny Flynn came off a high ball screen before a step-back dribble found a trailing Greene for the go-ahead. Greene's dagger was one of his five three-point baskets on the afternoon. Providence guard Dwayne Williams' missed three-point try on the ensuing possession was rebounded by sophomore forward Paul Harris. Harris calmly sunk two free throws and handed the Orange a comfortable five-point edge with 2:12 remaining.
Flynn's steal at mid-court with 26 seconds remaining resulted in an uncontested lay-in and sealed the Orange's victory. Flynn and Greene ran all 40 minutes as SU snapped a brief two-game skid.
Harris collected 14 points and grabbed five rebounds while playing through foul trouble in the second half. The Niagara Falls, N.Y., native shot a career-best 10-for-13 from the charity stripe.
Flynn struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end, but muscled his way to 12 points, while dishing five assists and corralling four rebounds. The rookie court general made his presence felt on the defensive end with four steals.
With the Friars trailing by just two points with six minutes remaining, Flynn was intentionally fouled in transition by PC guard Jeff Xavier. Flynn drained both charity tosses, pushing the Orange advantage to 54-50.
Junior center Arinze Onuaku turned in a Herculean effort after pairing eight points with 14 boards in 39 minutes played. Junior forward Kristof Ongenaet, making his first-career start, posted six points and eight rebounds.
Freshman center Rick Jackson recorded seven points and pulled down eight caroms off the bench. Onuaku, Harris and Jackson led an SU charge on the glass, besting the Friars 47-32 off the window.
Despite trailing by nine points at the break, Providence nipped at the Orange's heels throughout the second half. After shooting just 1-for-12 in the first half from long range, the Friars buried 8-of-17 tries in the second stanza and grabbed a short-lived lead at 49-47 with 7:07 remaining.
Providence could not overcome a dry well of scoring from three of its top four offensive performers. The trio of Weyinmi Efejuku, Geoff McDermott and Brian McKenzie, averaging a combined 36.0 points per outing entering Sunday, scored just two points on 1-for-15 shooting overall. In fact, McKenzie mustered the only field goal less than four minutes into the second half.
Williams powered the Friars offense with a team-high 21 points off the bench. Head coach Tim Welsh received a combined 44 points from his reserves.
Welsh and assistant coach Allen Griffin found themselves in familiar territory on the Carrier Dome sidelines. Welsh served as Boeheim's assistant from 1988-91 and Griffin starred for the Orange from 1998-2001.
Syracuse's (14-7, 4-4) stay in the Loud House is short-lived as it returns to the road for a mid-week BIG EAST match-up at DePaul on Wednesday, January 30 at 8:30 p.m. SU fans can catch the Orange and Blue Demons on ESPN Regional (Time Warner 26).
