During Friday’s practice, Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim made a threat to his team – a loss to Georgia Tech would mean the Orangemen would lose their right to go home for Christmas break.

After Saturday’s 92-65 victory over the Yellow Jackets, Hakim Warrick said he thought Boeheim’s threat was a joke. But then he paused and admitted he didn’t know if Boeheim would have followed through.

Senior Kueth Duany, who has known Boeheim the longest, believed the threat was more than idle chatter.

‘He said it before practice, and we knew we had to pick it up,’ Duany said. ‘We all had our bags packed before the game. We knew if we won we were going home.’

For the first two minutes, it seemed like Duany would be spending his holidays in Syracuse rather than in Bloomington, Ind. But Duany’s steal and breakaway dunk began a 21- 5 run that allowed the Orangemen to turn a 6-0 deficit into a blowout-to-be by halftime.

‘The defense started it all,’ Warrick said. ‘The open looks we got, the transition game. That’s what got us going.’

Duany’s defense may have provided the spark, but it was Gerry McNamara who torched the Yellow Jackets. McNamara drained three three-pointers during the run, scoring 16 of his 25 points in the first half.

‘Every shot he shoots I think it’s going in,’ Duany said. ‘When he shoots, I just start running back looking for someone to guard because I know it’s cash.’

McNamara did more than light up the nets. After McNamara hit three consecutive three-pointers, the Georgia Tech defense began darting toward McNamara as soon as he caught the ball. McNamara consistently sidestepped the on-rushing defenders and drove into the lane. He dished out eight of his 10 assists in the first half.

After the game, Boeheim said McNamara – who now leads SU in assists and three-point shooting – had not played close to his potential until Saturday.

‘I don’t think he’s played up to his capabilities this year, as good as he’s played,’ Boeheim said. ‘He’s been one of the best freshmen in the country, and he hasn’t played where he can play. He’s used to scoring. He’s had to scale back his game. Tonight he didn’t scale anything back.’

McNamara’s handled Georgia Tech’s full-court pressure defense. Rather than lose the ball, the Orangemen lost defenders, converting eight layups or dunks within a 14-minute span in the first half. During a 14-minute stretch, the Orangemen outscored the Yellow Jackets, 40-12.

McNamara’s penetration allowed Duany to star as well. Duany took advantage of a number of wide-open opportunities, knocking down 6 of 7 first-half field-goals and both his three-point efforts. Duany didn’t miss a shot until the final minute of the first half, and Syracuse shot 54.5 percent (24 of 44) in the first stanza.

‘We couldn’t miss,’ McNamara said. ‘It must have been fun to watch. We just made shot after shot.’

Duany was also the catalyst in Syracuse’s top defensive effort so far. The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over 19 times.

‘We couldn’t play both ends of the court any better,’ Boeheim said. ‘The second half of the game was almost anti-climactic. It was almost like we should just go home now. It was about as good as it’s going to get.’

With 6:28 to play in the first half, McNamara found Duany spotting up for a three. After giving SU a 29-16 lead, Duany bellowed while McNamara shrugged smugly with satisfaction.

A little more than six minutes later, Carmelo Anthony drained a fade-away three-pointer at the buzzer, giving Syracuse a 58-25 halftime lead. Syracuse buried a season-best 10 three-pointers in the first half and finished 11 of 26.

‘They had it going,’ Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. ‘When a guy makes a step-back three, you have to give it to him. We didn’t react well to the run in the first half. They made shots. Sometimes this game is like that.’

Published on December 19, 2002 at 12:00 pm