NEW YORK – The fourth and fifth-graders of ‘McNamara’s band’ from Bridgeport Elementary performed so splendidly last Sunday, it would’ve been considered prodding to ask for an encore. Now, thanks to their hero, there’s a better chance that won’t be necessary.

Seconds away from likely playing in the Carrier Dome again – in an NIT first-round game – Gerry McNamara kept Syracuse’s hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid alive with the third game-winning 3-pointer of his career. The running shot from straight away with five-tenths of a second remaining lifted Syracuse to a dramatic 74-73 win over Cincinnati in the first round of the Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Still, another home date isn’t out of the question. After the Villanova loss on Sunday – which included a serenade to McNamara not only from the children but 33,633 in attendance – Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim hinted one win in the Big East tournament would not be enough to make the Big Dance.

Two would be a vastly different story. Syracuse can solidify its claim for an NCAA berth with a win over No. 1 Connecticut today at noon in the quarterfinals.

Early in the second half against Cincinnati, it appeared certain Syracuse (20-11, 7-9 Big East) would have a second game. The least sloppy of the teams, the Orange had a 13-point lead with less than 13 minutes remaining before nearly throwing away the game – and its NCAA hopes – with turnovers.

But McNamara, who made 5-of-8 3-pointers – his second-best percentage of the season – saved the day. For now. Cincinnati guard Jihad Muhammad hit front rim on a half-court shot as time expired.

‘Under the circumstances, this is the most important shot that I’ve hit,’ said McNamara, who led SU with 17 points and nine assists. ‘In the situation we’re in, we’re fighting and trying to battle for every game. We needed this one. There was no doubt about it.’

Cincinnati forward James White, who scored the most points in a Big East tournament game in three years with 32, had given Cincinnati a 72-71 lead with 10.5 seconds remaining. UC guard Devin Downey then stole the ensuing inbounds pass – one of SU’s 22 turnovers – was fouled, and made 1-of-2 free throws for a two-point lead.

After halting McNamara with one of its fouls-to-give with 6.2 seconds left, Cincinnati (19-12, 8-8) elected to let McNamara try his hand. The senior was closely guarded but managed to split two defenders for the winning shot. The officials reviewed whether or not it was game-tier or game-winner. McNamara already knew.

‘If I’m going to take a runner, I’m not going to step on the line,’ he said.

Syracuse gained a 39-34 halftime advantage and an even larger second half lead using a much-improved defense from its last two games when DePaul and Villanova totaled 200 points. Less than a month after torching SU from the 3-point line in a 17-point win, Cincinnati made only 6-of-24 3-pointers on Wednesday. The Orange shot 9-of-18.

But SU not only failed to score for long stretches down the stretch, but gave UC the opportunity to comeback. With 3:39 left, Downey stripped SU guard Eric Devendorf and hit a lay-up for a one-point Bearcat lead, its first advantage since 13-12.

‘For a while tonight, our defense was really good,’ Boeheim said. ‘I really thought even though we had a couple of breakdowns on defense, we stopped scoring for two, three, four minutes there, and that hurt us.’

When it wasn’t committing turnovers, Syracuse’s offense was quietly efficient. The Orange shot 45.5 percent from the field and for the first team all season, had five starters score in double figures. Forward Terrence Roberts played effectively down low with 16 points and nine rebounds. Darryl Watkins had a career-high 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Devendorf scored 12 and forward Demetris Nichols 10.

‘It was really the best balance that we’ve had all year long,’ Boeheim said. ‘That was probably the difference.’

Well, not exactly. McNamara was the difference. Like he was when he beat Notre Dame his freshman year at the Dome. Like he was when he beat Georgetown on the road his sophomore year. And now like he was when he beat Cincinnati in the Big East tournament his senior season.

But while the fourth and-fifth graders of Bridgeport Elementary would love to add a new verse, the final version is yet to be written. Even though Syracuse earned its 20th win by taking the season series from Cincinnati, it had fewer quality victories then the Bearcats – making another home game at the Carrier Dome still a possibility. At least, thanks to McNamara, the alternative is a possibility as well.

‘We made a couple bad mistakes at the end of the game,’ Boeheim said. ‘And fortunately Gerry corrected them.’

Published on March 11, 2006 at 12:00 pm