WORCESTER, Mass. – Syracuse was used to tough defenses. It had played big, physical teams like Connecticut and Pittsburgh. It had seen the athleticism of Oklahoma State. But nothing could prepare the Orange for the high-pressured defense it faced Friday from Vermont.

The Catamounts caused the Orange to turn the ball over a season-high 24 times in a 60-57 win over Syracuse at the DCU Centrum on Friday. Vermont wasn’t more athletic or any faster, it simply never let the Orange get comfortable in its offense, constantly pestering SU as it came over halfcourt.

‘Both teams played tremendous defense and it was a hard-fought battle,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘We had too many turnovers for an NCAA Tournament game in order to close the game.’

UVM forward Germain Mopa Njila had four steals while Taylor Coppenrath grabbed three. The Catamounts also forced the officials to whistle SU for several held ball instances, resulting in jump balls.

The Orange also made its share of mistakes, none bigger than a Gerry McNamara turnover with 23 second remaining in overtime as he came across halfcourt and lost the ball, resulting in a backcourt violation.

‘They did a good job on defense,’ Boeheim said. ‘Against UConn, one of the best defensive teams in the country, we only had six turnovers, but there’s no question the Vermont defense should get a lot of credit, but we made too many mistakes.’

3-point woes

Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara failed to get in a rhythm against the Catamounts, shooting 1 for 7 from the 3-point line and 4 for 18 overall.

McNamara finished with 11 points and three assists. It was the lowest point total for McNamara in seven games. He did not make a 3-pointer until the 5:48 mark of the second half.

‘It was disappointing and frustrating,’ McNamara said.

The Catamounts T.J. Sorrentine proved to be a tough defensive counterpart, constantly pressuring McNamara into off-balance shots and runners in the lane.

McNamara had been in a shooting slump toward the end of SU’s conference schedule, but as the Big East tournament started, he heated up. In an 81-57 win over Rutgers on March 10, he scored 25 points on 6-for-8 shooting.

Several times, McNamara could not deliver a blow to even the game. And he shot 0 for 2 from the 3-point line in overtime.

Press – too little, too late

Syracuse worked in a full-court press for much of the second half, disrupting Vermont’s offense and causing its fair share of turnovers.

The Orange went to the press with eight minutes remaining in regulation, trailing, 38-33. It caused three Vermont turnovers in the next four minutes and brought the game to a 45-45 tie with 3:47 remaining.

‘We’re not a great pressing team,’ Boeheim said. ‘It’s difficult to press Vermont because they’re a great ball-handling team, but it got us the lead.

‘We just didn’t play well enough offensively.’

This and that

The win was the first NCAA Tournament win in Vermont history. … The loss marked the second time Syracuse has lost in the NCAA Tournament in Worcester in overtime to a New England school. The Orange lost to UMass in 1992, 77-71, in overtime. … Hakim Warrick finished his career fourth all-time in scoring at Syracuse. He surpassed Sherman Douglas (2,060) and finished his career with 2,073 points.

Published on March 21, 2005 at 12:00 pm