Syracuse Pulls Away From Georgetown

Syracuse (18-1, 5-0) was able to beat Georgetown (11-5, 3-2) Tuesday...by a toe.

Had it not been for Georgetown junior forward Brandon Bowman's toe being on the three-point line as he made a jumper with 2.3 seconds left, Georgetown would have snuck out of the Carrier Dome with a well-earned victory.

As it was, though, his jumper only sent the game into overtime.

In the extra period, Hakim Warrick and Syracuse took over, securing a 78-73 win.

"Every game in the Big East is difficult," said SU coach Jim Boeheim. "You just gotta find a way to win, and tonight we did."

Warrick led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds, his ninth double-double of the season. Senior center Craig Forth notched his first double-double of the year, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds.

After a slow start, Gerry McNamara scored five of his 17 points in overtime. And with five three-pointers, McNamara passed Preston Shumpert on the Syracuse all-time three-point list. McNamara now has 251 three-pointers in a little more than two and a half years. Shumpert's old record stood at 249. Coach Boeheim knew not to be worried about McNamara's sluggish start

"It doesn't matter what he goes, he'll make the next one," said Boeheim.

Georgetown was paced by Bowman, who scored a team-high 19 points. Freshman center Roy Hibbert scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

After having already won games on the road against Pittsburgh and Villanova, the Hoyas came up just short at the Dome. An exhausted Boeheim said after the game, "I'm sorry (John) Thompson (III) is back."

Much like his father, Thompson may have his Hoya team back in contention in the Big East. If so, it should make for an intense rivalry between Syracuse and Georgetown, much like the days of old.

Syracuse next faces West Virginia Saturday at the Dome. Game time is 2 pm.