WASHINGTON – After opening Saturday’s game at Georgetown with a quick bucket, the Syracuse men’s basketball team had the score and the crowd in its favor.

When Georgetown had the ball, that quickly turned around.

The Hoyas grabbed three offensive rebounds on their first possession of the game, killing the momentum the Orange built only moments earlier. While GU didn’t score on the possession, it exposed a weakness that Georgetown took advantage of in the SU defense.

When Georgetown defeated Syracuse, 68-53, on Saturday at the MCI Center, it took advantage of SU’s sloppiness on the boards. Georgetown grabbed 17 of its 39 rebounds on the offensive glass. Syracuse only had 19 defensive rebounds.

The Hoyas outscored the Orange, 12-9, on second-chance points.

‘On the defensive glass, we struggled,’ Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara. ‘They got (17) offensive rebounds. We can’t do that if we want to be successful.’

Not only did the second opportunities allow Georgetown more chances to score, it awoke the Hoya fans in attendance for the last home game of the season. The crowd gave No. 23 Georgetown even more confidence.

‘We have to be more conscious,’ Syracuse guard Louie McCroskey said. ‘You give the home team huge confidence. You give the home team second-chance opportunities. I think that was the difference.’

With GU receiving second and third chances, it allowed the Hoya offense to catch the SU zone off-balance. Syracuse players were often out of position, allowing an open look for Georgetown.

SU didn’t play poor defense – Georgetown shot 40 percent, almost 8 percent under its season average. Instead, the Hoyas hustled to the boards, beating the SU defenders, most of whom were in better position.

‘We got in our comfort zone, and they came over top of us,’ Syracuse center Darryl Watkins said. ‘Things weren’t going good for us.’

Watkins and forward Matt Gorman were the only members of the Orange who had more than five rebounds. Watkins led the team with eight.

Georgetown, on the other hand, had four players with five or more rebounds, including point guard Ashanti Cook. The Hoyas had all players crashing toward the basket in an effort to sneak in the middle of the Syracuse zone for a rebound.

‘We didn’t do a good enough job on the offensive glass,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘There were a couple plays where it was a loose ball situation, and they got there and they were able to turn them into easy baskets.’

But the offensive rebounds gave Georgetown more than easy baskets. The Hoyas also received a huge boost in momentum when it had multiple opportunities to score despite shooting worse than normal.

With less than a minute remaining in the first half and SU down one, GU center Roy Hibbert grabbed guard Jessie Sapp’s missed 3-pointer and hit a lay-up. SU forward Terrence Roberts was called for his third foul on the play, and Hibbert completed the three-point play to put Georgetown up four.

‘It’s mostly the second chance opportunities they got,’ Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf said. ‘It just hurt because it makes us play defense for that much longer. Obviously, you don’t want to do that.’

Published on February 26, 2006 at 12:00 pm