Syracuse University
Marquette
Orange Wins An Overtime Thriller, 86-79
3/7/2009 4:21:09 PM | Men's Basketball
#25/25 Syracuse86, #13/15 Marquette 79 (OT)
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - No. 25/25 Syracuse (23-8, 11-7) knocked off #13/15 Marquette (23-8, 12-6), 86-79 in overtime on Saturday at the Bradley Center. The victory clinched the sixth seed for the Orange in the upcoming BIG EAST Conference Tournament.
Sophomore guard Jonny Flynn topped the team with 24 points, including 16 in the second half and another four in the extra session. Junior guards Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf added 20 and 12 points, respectively, and sophomore forward Rick Jackson contributed a career-high 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.
Junior center Arinze Onuaku also had eight rebounds, including six at the offensive end. Third-year forward Paul Harris joined with Devendorf and Flynn in distributing six assists each.
The game was played in front of the largest crowd to see a college basketball game in state history, a gathering of 19,144.
The hosts led by three, 70-67, with less than two minutes remaining in the contest. Flynn hit a jumper at 1:45 to narrow the gap and two possessions later, Flynn swiped the ball from Maurice Acker and charged down to convert the lay-up while being fouled on the play. He finished off the three-point play to put the Orange ahead, 72-70, with 30 seconds to go in the game.
Jerel McNeal drained a three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to give Marquette the lead, but Jackson was fouled on the other end of the floor after Flynn connected with him down low. Jackson converted the front end of the one-and-one with 13 seconds left and Marquette's Jerel McNeal missed a three-point attempt at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime.
In the extra session, baskets by Flynn and Jackson, sandwiched around a Marquette free throw by Lazar Hayward, gave the Orange a three-point edge. McNeal, who finished with a game-high 25 points, knotted the score with a three-ball at the 2:49 mark.
On the ensuing possession, Rautins responded with a three-pointer and SU never trailed again. Two more Hayward free throws pulled the Golden Eagles within one, 80-79, but Rautins converted a layup in traffic with 1:23 left to push Syracuse up, 82-79. Marquette's Wesley Matthews misfired on a three with 16 ticks left and the hosts got the offensive rebound and called timeout. After inbounding the ball, McNeal inadvertently stepped out of bounds to turn the ball over. Flynn and Rautins each made two free throws in the final 13 seconds.
The extra-sesssion triumph was Syracuse's third of the campaign. The Orange defeated Kansas in overtime, 89-81, and Georgetown, 98-84.
Marquette owned a 16-7 lead at the 13:45 mark of the first half, but an 8-2 Orange run turned into a three-point game, 18-15. Senior forward Kristof Ongenaet, to tie the game, 24-24, at the 6:24 mark. A dunk from Jackson with 2:57 left in the first stanza provided Syracuse with its only lead of the opening period, 30-29. Marquette entered intermission with a 35-34 advantage.
Syracuse opened the second half scoring with a trifecta from Rautins as the Orange regained the lead, 37-35. Clinging to a 56-53 advantage, SU went on a 7-0 run, which included five points from Rautins, and the Orange enjoyed its largest margin, 63-53.
The Golden Eagles fought back with a 15-4 run to give Marquette a one-point lead, 68-67, with 3:27 remaining, and set up the dramatic ending.
Syracuse's became just the second squad to win at Marquette this season. The Orange converted 36-of-64 from the field (.563) while limiting Marquette to 27-of-75 shooting (.360). The Golden Eagles made just 1-of-8 in the extra period.
The Orange head to the Big Apple for the 2009 BIG EAST Conference Tournament to play this week. As the sixth seed, SU has a first-round bye. Syracuse will face the winner of Tuesday's first-round contest between Seton Hall and USF in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, March 11 at 9 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.
