Josh Wright sprinted the ball down the court with the season in the balance. Syracuse trailed by one point in overtime after Rutgers freshman Anthony Farmer hit a 3-pointer to give the Scarlet Knights the lead, and a collective hush circled the Carrier Dome. The 20,682 fans faced the realization that the pendulum of emotions that marked the previous two and a half hours would result in the Orange’s fifth straight loss.

Wright hit a barricade of red jerseys as he passed the 3-point line and, with seconds ticking and nerves intensifying, was faced with the decision of either attempting to split the wall and toss what would most likely be an off-balanced lay-up or pass to junior forward Terrence Roberts standing at the top of the arc.

Wright gave the ball to Roberts, who made one 3-pointer this season and attempted just four. Roberts had a second to catch the ball, set his feet and release an improbable game-winner.

Swish.

Syracuse beat Rutgers, 86-84, in overtime Wednesday to break SU’s four-game losing streak and give the Orange its first win in 17 days. SU played much of the game without senior guard Gerry McNamara, who was sidelined in the first half with a Charlie horse.

Without SU’s star, the Orange played a team-oriented albeit mistake-prone 31 minutes. It was Roberts who turned out the hero.

‘At first I looked at the clock and glanced to see if anyone was open, and I knew I had to take it, so I just put it up and thank God it went in,’ Roberts said. ‘I’ve made big shots, big plays, but that’s by far the biggest shot I’ve ever made.’

The game was in the balance on multiple occasions. There were 13 lead changes, 10 of which came in the second half and at overtime. Whenever it seemed like Rutgers would seal the game, the Orange fought back. Whenever it seemed like SU had the win, the Scarlet Knights answered.

The Orange was led by junior forward Demetris Nichols, who scored 24 points – 17 in the first half – and collected nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Eric Devendorf tallied 21 points.

‘This was a heart-and-soul type of game,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘I’ve questioned the toughness of our players a couple times. … When you lose four in a row and you do what we had to do to win, that’s a tremendous tribute to the toughness of these kids.’

SU’s fate looked grim late in the second half when Rutgers juniors Quincy Douby hit two 3-pointers – six of his 41 points in a performance that Boeheim categorized as one of the best he’s seen in the Carrier Dome – to give the Scarlet Knights a three-point lead with 3:39 remaining.

It looked even worse when Darryl Watkins was at the foul line with 43 seconds remaining with the Orange trailing by a point. Watkins, SU’s maligned center, entered the game shooting a frightening 44.9 percent from the charity stripe. Throughout his career, he’s even worse. Fans were turning to their neighbors, instructing, ‘Shhh,’ as if the nervous serenity will change Watkins’ fortune.

Maybe it did. Watkins nailed them both.

‘I wasn’t feeling pressure,’ Watkins said, a statement that drew laughter from his teammates listening. ‘I was just waiting for an opportunity. I was thinking, ‘I’m going to make these.”

The free throws put SU up one and Rutgers couldn’t convert on the other end. Nichols hit both ensuing free throws to extend SU’s lead and the fans collectively cheered, as if the glee signaled a Syracuse victory.

This time, they were wrong. Rutgers forward Marquis Webb hit a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime with five seconds remaining.

The balance swung into the Orange’s favor in overtime when Nichols blocked Douby on a fast break with 2:27 left in overtime, creating a transition opportunity for SU that finished with a lay-up by freshman guard Eric Devendorf. McNamara called Nichols’ block the ‘game-winning play.’

‘We decided in the last five minutes of the game that we weren’t going to give up any lay-ups,’ Nichols said. ‘I said to myself, ‘I have to block this or foul him, or else Coach will go crazy.’ I just tried my best to block it and it happened.’

After Rutgers scored to take the lead back, Josh Wright nailed a 3-pointer to give the Orange a two-point lead with 1:03 remaining. (Wright scored 14 points and distributed five assists in McNamara’s place.) When Webb missed a 3-pointer and SU gained possession with 34 seconds left in overtime, all the Orange needed to do was sit on the ball and hit free throws.

But in a sign of the game, nothing came easy. Devendorf turned over the ball, setting up Farmer’s 3-pointer. It wasn’t until Roberts’ clutch game-winner fell through with three seconds left that the Orange could safely cheer.

‘He shoots that shot every day,’ Boeheim said. ‘I tell him every day not to take it in a game, but I told him after this one, he can take one more.’

Published on February 1, 2006 at 12:00 pm