NEW YORK – Going into the second half of the Big East Championship final against Pittsburgh, Syracuse held the momentum and a nine-point lead. As the final half went along and the Panthers continued to chip away at SU’s lead, it was apparent the Orange wouldn’t cruise to a second-straight Big East tournament title. Not this Syracuse team. Not this Big East tournament.

In what is becoming the Syracuse way, the Orange had nothing secured until the final buzzer. SU pulled out a close game, defeating Pittsburgh, 65-61, to win the Big East Championship in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden.

When the buzzer finally did sound, Syracuse senior Gerry McNamara ran toward the student section as the rest of his teammates surrounded him. Freshman Eric Devendorf jumped up and down while pointing to ‘Syracuse’ scrawled across his chest.

It was Syracuse’s largest margin of victory in the tournament. It won four games by a combined eight points.

As was the status quo this week in New York, it was McNamara who gave his team a boost when it really needed it. Despite playing four games in four days and battling a nagging groin injury, McNamara continued to show flair he lacked for much of the regular season.

Pitt took a 48-47 lead on Sam Young’s layup with 8:32 remaining in the game – its first lead since 3-0 a minute into the game – deflating the Orange and awakening the Panther fans who were quiet for most of the game.

Sensing the deflation, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim called a timeout, hoping to regroup his team. The 30-second break worked.

Out of the break, McNamara hit a 3-pointer to regain the lead for Syracuse. The Panthers never lead again.

‘Really, it wasn’t a surprise,’ Syracuse forward Terrence Roberts said. ‘He’s been doing it all week long. It gave us an emotional lift. For him to hit that shot, it was key for us.’

Pitt still prevented Syracuse from pulling away in the final minutes by taking advantage of sloppy play by the Orange.

With two minutes remaining and SU up one, McNamara tried to force the ball inside to center Darryl Watkins. Pittsburgh forward Levon Kendall easily stepped in front of the pass and led a fast-break opportunity. Despite having a man advantage and two close attempts at the basket, the Panthers came up empty.

McNamara, the most outstanding player of the tournament, scored 14 points and led all players with six assists. Demetris Nichols led the Orange with 15 points, including 4-of-5 shooting from behind the 3-point line. Watkins, who had nine points and 11 rebounds, joined Nichols on the all-tournament team.

The Orange, the ninth seed, is the lowest seeded team ever to win the Big East tournament. It is also the first team to play all four rounds and win.

McNamara admitted it was a tough year for Syracuse, but said the obstacles the Orange overcame to win the championship made the victory even better than last year’s triumph. While SU had other options in previous years, McNamara is the lone senior on this year’s team and the primary scoring option.

That role, as evidenced by McNamara’s new collection of game-winning shots, finally clicked in New York.

‘Some guys win one game or two every once and a while,’ Boeheim said. ‘I don’t think anyone’s won four in a row.’

Published on March 13, 2006 at 12:00 pm