SYRACUSE, N.Y., 20 January 2005 — Hakim Warrick ended with a game-high 25 points, including four in overtime, and grabbed 11 rebounds, as seventh-ranked Syracuse held off Georgetown and posted a 78-73 win at the Carrier Dome.

Gerry McNamara added 17 points and Josh Pace netted 13 for the Orangemen (18-1, 5-0 Big East), who have won 11 straight games since suffering their only loss of the season to Oklahoma State on Dec. 7.

Brandon Bowman scored 19 points and Roy Hibbert had 12 points and 14 boards for the Hoyas (11-5, 3-2), who had their two-game winning streak halted. Jonathan Wallace and Jeff Green each contributed 12 points in the loss. Syracuse began the overtime period with seven straight points, capped by Warrick’s dunk, to claim a 74-67 edge with 2:53 left in the game. During the decisive run, Louie McCroskey hit a jump shot and McNamara added a three.

Georgetown did get within four moments later on Wallace’s three-pointer, but McNamara’s basket pushed the lead to six points.

The Hoyas then closed within 76-73 on Hibbert’s layup with seven seconds left, but Warrick sealed the win with two free throws.

Georgetown trailed by four at the intermission, but opened the second half on an 8-0 run to pull ahead, 40-36. Green had four of the points and finished off the run with a layup two minutes into the frame.

Syracuse countered with seven straight points to claim a 43-40 advantage, but the Hoyas then seized back the lead moments later as they also reeled off seven consecutive points. Green scored five during the flurry and Bowman’s dunk with 9:52 remaining in regulation capped the surge and made it 55-51.

The Orange then regained the lead in the see-saw contest at 60-59 and still led by one later in the half before Warrick was able to hit 1-of-2 from the line to make it 67-65 with 1:11 left in the second stanza.

Bowman then missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to keep the deficit at two and after McNamara missed a three with 41 seconds left, the Hoyas had one last chance. Bowman made the most of the opportunity as he drained a long jumper from just inside the arc with five seconds left in regulation to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Syracuse jumped out to a 5-0 lead as Craig Forth scored the game’s first five points, but the Hoyas came back and eventually claimed an 11-9 edge on Bowman’s three-pointer with 14:09 left in the first half.

Georgetown widened its lead to 18-13 on Hibbert’s dunk moments later, but the Orange rallied and Warrick’s free throw with 4:33 left capped a 10-4 surge and put them ahead 23-22.

Syracuse built its lead to five points in the waning minutes of the first half and eventually carried a 36-32 lead into the intermission. Game Notes

Forth had 10 points and 10 rebounds while McCroskey chipped in nine points...Syracuse was 28-of-54 from the floor (52 percent), while the Hoyas converted on 41 percent of their shots (24-of-59)...McNamara became the school’s all-time leader in three-pointers made and surpassed the previous record held by Preston Shumpert...Syracuse improved to 12-0 at home this season, while the Hoyas fell to 3-1 on the road...The Orange lead the all-time series 40-34.