NEW YORK – Andy Rautins swung the ball to a wide open Wes Johnson at the top of the key, while the crowd at Madison Square Garden waited on its feet.

With Syracuse already on a 17-1 run to start the second half, he knew this could be knockout blow. In a game where both teams traded massive run for massive run, Johnson knew this would be the shot to end it all.

‘I slowed down, caught it, shot it and when went in and I saw everybody in the crowd and everybody was jumping up after that,’ Johnson said. ‘I think we were rolling after that.’

With the crowd in a frenzy, Johnson began to dance at half court while a deflated North Carolina team huddled at its bench in attempt to regroup. But the damage was done. The No. 24 Orange (4-0) surged through the first 10 minutes of the second half, allowing it to shock No. 6 North Carolina (4-1) 87-71 in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic here at Madison Square Garden Friday.

‘We definitely realized it,’ Rautins said of the second-half surge. ‘The momentum in the crowd you could feel it shift every ten minutes or so and you know, it was a great atmosphere to play in.’

Heading into halftime, the Orange was all but deflated from a rollercoaster first half. An 8-0 run to start the game quickly diminished as a brut Tar Heel offense began to flex its muscles.

UNC point guard Larry Drew worked the ball around the perimeter and lofted the ball inside to Ed Davis. The 6-foot-10 225-pound center powered his way to the rim while drawing a series of fouls from the Syracuse frontcourt.

Before long, an 8-0 lead became a 15-12 UNC advantage as Davis sunk another pair of free throws. The offense allowed the Tar Heels to play at its own pace, while the Orange tried to overcompensate, resulting in poor shots and listless turnovers.

‘We put ourselves in great situations early in the game but we just got a little complacent,’ Rautins said. ‘We just need to know mental lapses sometimes give teams runs like we did tonight.’

The rest of the half was a dogfight. Though the score was near deadlock, the Orange had the feel of a team exerting every effort to stay with the No. 6 team in the country. Each time SU’s offense made some headway, the Tar Heels would come right back with a quick 5-0, or 8-2 run to silence the Orange.

‘We started great but they came right back at us,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘We had another good spurt, they came right back and took the lead at halftime.’

But after the break, something clicked. All of a sudden, a game that went blow for blow, exploded in a bevy of Orange points to start the half.

It started slow – a Brandon Triche drive and score tied the game at 39 just eight seconds in. Arinze Onuaku stepped up next, taking UNC’s Davis to the basket for another quick two. Before long, the same Orange team that started the game was out to finish it once and for all.

Rautins picked up a loose ball and tossed it up the court to a streaking Onuaku for a two-hand jam which extended the run to 10-1. At the 13 minute mark, Triche put a quick double-move on UNC’s Drew and drove the lane once again for a three-point play and a 15-1 run.

And finally, with a weary pack of Tar Heels on its last legs, Johnson received the pass from Rautins and nailed the jumper to finish the opposition. There were other runs from UNC after, but nothing could propel the Tar Heels enough to claw back within striking distance.

‘At one point, we were maybe up 19 or 20 and then you tell yourself, well we got this game in the bag,’ forward Kris Joseph said.

Despite early foul trouble and several dominating Tar Heel stretches, Rautins knew the Orange would be able to keep its composure. There was something different about this team, and watching as they rocked toward the bench after Johnson’s 3-pointer, it was easy to see.

Said Rautins: ‘It’s very tough for teams to beat us when we play aggressive as we do.’

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on November 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm