There were four seconds left in the first half, more than enough time for Gerry McNamara to set up for a buzzer-beater to extend Syracuse’s four-point halftime lead against Colgate. Instead, the senior guard lost his dribble and entered the locker room with a disgusted look on his face. The Orange had only scored 22 first-half points, the lowest first half total of the season.

When SU arrived on the court after the break, it was a different team. The defense remained stingy and the offense had a newfound spark, leading Syracuse (6-2) to a convincing 58-35 victory for its 40th straight win over Colgate (4-5).

‘(Syracuse head coach Jim) Boeheim came in (at halftime) and said you did a great job on defense, you only gave up 18 points, but you only scored 22,’ McNamara said. ‘We’re not playing good offense, but we have a lead because we play good defense.’

It was Syracuse’s defense, along with Colgate’s inept offense, that created the surge. SU held Colgate to only 11 second half points. There was almost a nine minute stretch in the second half – from 15:53 to 6:58 – when the Raiders didn’t score a point. During that span, the Orange scored 19 unanswered points.

‘Our defense was very good; we kept people in front of us,’ Boeheim said. ‘And then we had a little bit of bit movement and hit some open shots. When you’re hitting jump shots, that changes everything.’

Many of the open jump shots were created in fast-break opportunities. After a week off, the Orange’s legs were fresh. It showed in the second half when the offense continued to push the floor after the defense continued to created favorable transition situations.

‘When we play good defense, it’s easy to get out in the open and run,’ sophomore guard Josh Wright said. ‘That benefits us because we can get easy looks at the basket.’ McNamara hit three second-half 3-pointers in transition. One was created from perhaps the play of the game, when center Darryl Watkins ferociously pinned a Colgate shot from behind, creating a transition 3-pointer for McNamara.

‘When I get the open ones, those ones usually go in,’ McNamara said. ‘A lot of them are more rhythm, stepping into shots. In the half-court offense, a lot of them are set shots. I think coming in transition you have a little better rhythm, catching it off a pass and going at it full speed.

‘I like stopping on a dime and pulling up. In the half court, it’s a little slower. When we get out in transition and find people – Demetris (Nichols), Andy (Rautins) and Josh (Wright) – they’re going to knock the down. That’s something that we have to do well.’

McNamara led all scorers with 14 points, although he was held without an assist for the first time this season. Watkins led SU with 7 rebounds while fellow junior Terrence Roberts added six blocks.

With a 27-point lead, Boeheim elected to take all five of his starters out at the 7:22 mark in the second half. The Orange let up a bit on defense but kept the strong enough cushion. But the overall performance proved that when SU can stop opponents on defense, it can still win despite off-nights on offense.

‘If we can set a tone defensively early then offense will follow,’ McNamara said. ‘Anytime you’re in a jam the defense has to be a constant.’

Published on December 9, 2005 at 12:00 pm