One half-inch forward and it still would have been a game-tying two-pointer. One half-inch backward and junior forward Brandon Bowman would have hit the biggest game-winning three-pointer in recent Georgetown memory. Despite Bowman’s team-high 19 points and his teammates’ gritty effort, the Hoyas fell to No. 7 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Tuesday night in overtime by a score of 78-73.
“They played with tremendous poise and did all of the things you can do to win on the road,” Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim said. “Our guys just wouldn’t let the game get away.”
Although the Hoyas had won two straight Big East road games against No. 21 Pittsburgh and Villanova, it appeared that their meeting with the Orange would be an opportunity to gain some long-awaited respect.
Georgetown opened the game scoreless for the first three minutes as Syracuse opened a 5-0 advantage. After junior guard Ashanti Cook opened the scoring with a trifecta, the Hoyas began clawing back. A Cook layup gave the Hoyas their first lead of 8-7 at the 15:28 mark.
From there, it was a classic Big East dogfight with both teams scraping on every possession to match the other team. A Louis McCroskey three at the 12:35 mark gave Syracuse an 11-10 lead, but Bowman came right back from downtown to take the lead back for the Hoyas. The play sparked a small run that ended when first-year center Roy Hibbert flushed one down for an 18-13 lead, prompting Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim to call a timeout. The five-point lead would be Georgetown’s largest of the game.
Syracuse came out of the timeout and promptly got to work on a 13-5 run that included five points from All-Big East forward Hakim Warrick, who finished with a game-high 25 points. At the 3:44 mark, Orange sharpshooter Gerry McNamara capped the run with his first three-pointer of the night to give Syracuse a 26-23 edge.
Sensing that he was about to be shown up, first-year guard Jonathan Wallace came down the court and promptly nailed a three of his own. Including his first three, Wallace scored nine straight points for Georgetown, including a huge shot after McNamara ran the Orange lead to 34-29 with another three of his own. With Wallace’s spurt, the Hoyas were able to keep the game at a close 36-32 going into halftime.
As the second half began, Georgetown jumped all over the stunned Orange. Hibbert began by grabbing a few quick offensive rebounds before drawing a foul. He finished with a career-high 14 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end. After both free throws cut the Syracuse lead to two, the Hoyas pressured the Orange into some sloppy play. Bowman was able to pick up an outlet pass off of a steal for an easy dunk. The next possession saw first-year forward Jeff Green as the recipient of two fast-break points. The 8-0 run to open the half flipped a four-point deficit to a four-point lead just two minutes into the stanza.
“I wouldn’t say they out-hustled us,” McNamara said. “Not every ball is going to go your way and not every play is going to go your way. They did a good job of taking advantage of that.”
Following a Syracuse timeout, the Orange began a 10-2 run on the strength of two more hits from downtown by McNamara. One of McNamara’s threes was something of a controversial call, at least on the Hilltop. As the ball rattled around the rim, it was clearly touched by a Syracuse player, which would have meant either a goaltending call and no basket, or at minimum the field goal counting for just two. It was one point that would be important later. A nasty dunk from senior swingman Darrell Owens ended the run with the Hoyas down just two with 13 minutes left to play.
“I got to a loose ball, tipped it, hit a questionable shot, and it turned out to be a three-pointer,” McNamara said. “That’s the way the game goes.”
A minute later, the Hoyas started a 10-2 run of their own when sophomore guard Ray Reed nailed a three from the wing. After the Hoyas forced a Syracuse turnover, Green hit from behind the arc to give Georgetown a 53-51 edge. Another turnover led to a Bowman dunk, extending the lead to four with 9:52 left in the game.
The Hoyas controlled the next few minutes with Hibbert anchoring the middle. After a Wallace miss, Hibbert grabbed the offensive board and got the putback to fall to give the Hoyas a 59-56 spread with just over six minutes left. A minute later, Green fouled out after playing most of the half with four fouls, as did Cook.
After Syracuse’s senior center Craig Forth cut the Hoyas lead to two, a costly Georgetown turnover allowed the Orange to take the lead by one. Syracuse ran that lead to four with just under four mintues left to play before the Hoyas, desperate for a three, attempted two shots from downtown until Owens cleaned up a loose rebound for his only three of the day.
Following a Forth miss, Wallace grabbed the rebound with the Hoyas in a great position to take the lead. They didn’t even get a shot off as McNamara stole the ball at midcourt.
With 1:10 left to play, Warrick hit one-of-two free throws to give Syracuse a 67-65 edge. Having already missed one opportunity, the Hoyas were eager to make amends. Bowman drove the lane immediately, drawing a foul from Forth on the floor. With Syracuse only in single-bonus, Bowman had a one-and-one situation to tie the game. He missed the front end, dashing the Hoyas’ hopes for a victory.
There was, however, still a minute left on the clock. A solid defensive stop led to an errant McNamara three-point attempt. With no shot-clock, the Hoyas would have the final shot. After inbounding the ball, Bowman picked it up again at the top of the key with 10 seconds remaining. With his shoe barely over the line, the junior hit to tie the game at 67, the seventh tie of the game. Replays determined that Bowman’s foot was, in fact, over the line.
As the game headed to overtime, Cook and Bowman were both saddled with four fouls, and Green and his 12 points had already fouled out. Syracuse went on a quick 7-0 run to open the overtime period, capped off by a steal-and-slam from Warrick. Despite Wallace’s final three of the night on the next possession, the Hoyas were simply gassed from a game that they had chances to win.
“This was a great game, a well-played game,” Boeheim said. “Both teams went at it the whole way and it came down to a couple of plays to start overtime. That was just enough.”
Warrick was also quick to praise the Hoyas for what was an unforgettable renewal of one of college basketball’s more storied rivalries.
“Georgetown is definitely an up-and-coming program. I think they are one of the best teams we’ve played so far,” Warrick said. “We know that no matter what, with all the tradition behind this game, we’re going to get a good game out of Georgetown. They really came out tonight.”
