Syracuse Escapes Nation's Capital With a Victory

Gerry McNamara must have been saving everything he had for the end. In the first 34 minutes against Georgetown on Saturday, McNamara shot just 1-of-7 from behind the arc. But in the last six minutes, he started to heat up, hitting three three-pointers. The most important one of the day, though, came right at the buzzer as McNamara sank a three to win the game, 57-54, and sink Georgetown's hopes of pulling off the upset.

The win was far from pretty, though. The Orangemen (17-6, 7-5) overcame a season-high 25 turnovers and just 50-percent shooting from the foul line to come out of the MCI Center with a win against the Hoyas (13-10, 4-8).

Syracuse led very early on, 3-2. But after that, Georgetown maintained the lead up until Josh Pace's baby hook tied the game at 52-52 with 1:35 to go. Hakim Warrick then hit a pair of free throws to give the Orangemen a two-point lead. However, Syracuse was called for a five-second violation on an inbounds pass. The Hoya's ensuing possession led to a tip-in and another tie at 54-54. With eight seconds remaining, Hakim Warrick caught the inbounds pass and dribbled down court. He found McNamara on the perimeter, where McNamara turned and fired, for what was the game-winner as time expired.

Hakim Warrick led the Orangemen with 19 points. He also recorded five blocks, all in the first half. McNamara finished up with 13 points after his sluggish start, and freshman Louie McCroskey added 10 points off the bench, setting his career-high for the second consecutive game.

For Georgetown, it was their fourth loss in a row, and their tenth lost in their last 14 games. Gerald Riley and Ashanti Cook each scored 13 points. But the Hoyas were just as sloppy as the Orangemen, turning the ball over 15 times, and shooting just 28-percent for the game.

Once again, Billy Edelin did not travel with the Orangemen to D.C. There is still no word on the reason for his abence, other than "for personal reasons not related to basketball or academics".

Syracuse will come back home to face Villanova at the Carrier Dome on Monday, February 23rd. That game will be televised on ESPN's Big Monday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.