A record crowd poured through the Carrier Dome gates Sunday to beg and hope for Syracuse freshman Carmelo Anthony to come back for another season.

He gave them reason to beg, but little reason to hope.

As the deafening chant of ‘One More Year!’ cascaded from the stands onto Jim Boeheim Court during the game’s waning seconds, Anthony couldn’t help but smile. His 30 points had just lifted SU to an 83-74 victory over Rutgers (12-16, 4-12 Big East) in a game with more subplots than a soap opera.

The win – which came on Senior Day and witnessed the retiring of Sherman Douglas’ No. 20 – clinched SU a share of the Big East regular-season title and gave the Orangemen the No. 1 seed from the West Division in next week’s Big East tournament. Syracuse ran its home record for the season to 17-0, an unprecedented feat in SU history. An on-campus record 33,071 fans – eclipsing the old mark by 23 – attended.

And oh, by the way, Syracuse (23-4, 13-3) had to overcome a 12-point, second-half deficit to make it all happen.

‘For me individually to have 30 points and 14 rebounds, that’s a great way to go out,’ Anthony said. ‘As a team, to win and go 17-0 at home, that’s an awesome way to go out.’

A typical way to go out, too. Rutgers led, 54-42, with 13:45 remaining. But Syracuse befuddled Rutgers with its full-court zone press and Anthony scored 14 down the stretch to give SU its 12th victory of the season after trailing in the second half.

‘This game was just kind of a microcosm of our season,’ Boeheim said. ‘We don’t give up. That’s the way they are. They battled back all year long.’

‘People are gonna start calling us the Comeback Kids,’ Anthony said.

Those fans contributing to the record attendance would like to see Anthony do just that – come back – next year. In what could have been Anthony’s final home game, fans brought signs pleading him to return and screamed for another season.

‘I got a chill when they were chanting that,’ Anthony said. ‘I got a chill through my body.’

After the game, Boeheim sent chills through the conference.

‘Without a doubt, despite of what some people who don’t know anything about basketball think, you saw the best player in the Big East today,’ Boeheim said, referring to Anthony. ‘If you don’t understand that, I feel real bad for you. He’s not going to get it, but if you watched basketball all year long, it’s not even close.’

Anthony, always cocksure, agreed.

‘I know I am,’ Anthony said. ‘I know in the back of my mind that I’m not gonna get it. I’m a freshman, man. They don’t want to give it to no freshman. I don’t think it’s fair, but I don’t make the calls.’

While Anthony may be the player of the year, SU considered guard Josh Pace its player of the game. Coming off the bench, Pace ignited SU’s comeback with saran-wrap defense at the head of the press. Victimized by inconsistent playing time much of the year, Pace contributed 10 points, six rebounds and countless headaches to Rutgers point guard Jerome Coleman in 21 minutes.

‘He came in when we had no energy, couldn’t get anything going,’ SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins said. ‘He just made play after play in the press. He’s just a tremendous asset to us.’

‘Josh Pace was the MVP of the game,’ SU senior Kueth Duany said.

Against a Rutgers team already eliminated from the Big East tournament and playing with no pressure, SU needed Pace’s crucial minutes. Rutgers built a 12-point lead in the first half, which the Orangemen erased with a late first-half run.

‘Every time we play them, they come out like they have nothing to lose,’ SU forward Hakim Warrick said.

Undaunted, RU built another 12-point lead behind center Kareem Wright’s 10 points in the first five minutes of the second half. Wright scored a team-high 20 despite missing time with an injured right shoulder.

Syracuse stormed back, and Anthony gave SU its first lead, 65-64, since the second minute of the first half by sinking two free throws with 5:36 to play.

Duany and freshman point guard Gerry McNamara drilled consecutive 3-pointers with 1:45 left to give SU a 79-69 lead and ice the game.

After surviving yet another close call, the Orangemen head to Madison Square Garden with utmost confidence. Last year, SU hung their heads at the Big East banquet before the tournament, Warrick said. This year, the spindly sophomore can’t wait to get to New York.

‘It makes us a lot more prepared,’ Warrick said. ‘I’d rather have a close game like this than get a blowout going into the Big East tournament. This year we can go in and hold our head up high and come out with a Big East Championship.’

Published on March 9, 2003 at 12:00 pm