MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Josh Pace attributes his scoring success the way most people claim credit for making their bed or emptying the trash.

Quite simply, somebody has to do it.

‘I just feel like whoever is out there, is out there for a reason,’ Pace said. ‘If you’re out there, you’ve got to get it done.’

Over the past three games, Pace has been doing it nearly as well as anyone. Tuesday might have marked Pace’s best performance to date. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard knocked down 6 of 12 shots, scoring 13 points, tacking on eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

He continually knifed through the West Virginia zone, slicing past bigger defenders and shielding off smaller ones. He hit his usual array of funky-looking floaters and off-balance leaners and was integral in two of Syracuse’s three major runs.

With 6:46 left in the first half and the Orangemen trailing, 18-17, Pace began to penetrate the Mountaineer zone. Syracuse struggled against West Virginia’s box-and-one and 1-3-1 defenses in the first half, but Pace put a halt to that, driving to the basket, drawing the defense and finding guard Gerry McNamara for an open 3-pointer.

On SU’s next two possessions, Pace forced his way into the paint, twisting as he buried consecutive shots. The second basket gave Syracuse a 24-20 lead, and the Orangemen wouldn’t trail again.

Pace struck again with 15:52 left in the game, extending a five-point lead to nine with another personal run. Pace buried a short jumper in transition and then converted from the paint again. The Mountaineer fans cheered as Pace launched his awkward-looking attempt with the shot clock at three. Moments later, they collapsed into their seats, groaning as Syracuse led 44-35.

‘He’s played well most of the year,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘If people allow him to get into the lane, he’s going to make that shot.’

Syracuse’s problems, however, have come when Pace hasn’t played so well. In all five of SU’s Big East losses, Pace has scored fewer than 10 points. The Orangemen have won only twice in conference when Pace hasn’t scored in double digits. And with Billy Edelin missing time because of personal problems, Pace’s play has become even more critical.

During Sunday’s 49-46 overtime win against Pittsburgh, Boeheim named Pace as one of the Orangemen’s top two scoring options. Yesterday, he proved so valuable that Boeheim played him almost the full 40 minutes, taking him out for about 15 seconds in the second half.

‘With Billy here or Billy not here, I’ve got to do the same things,’ Pace said. ‘The games we lost by a large margin, I guess I didn’t play as well as I should have. Maybe that’s something.’

It’s something the Orangemen don’t need to worry about for the time being. Over the past three games, Pace has relished the role of Syracuse’s third scoring option, averaging 13.3 points while making 50 percent of his field goal attempts.

‘It’s great to see him get going,’ forward Hakim Warrick said. ‘He’s being aggressive, getting in there, and not turning the ball over.’

Published on March 2, 2004 at 12:00 pm