CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said it after every game this season – win or lose: if one of the Orange’s younger players didn’t step up offensively, it would be vulnerable down the stretch. But all season long, it hadn’t been proven. Until now.

The Orange failed to supplant the All-American combination of Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara, as the Orange fell to Boston College, 65-60, at Conte Forum in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,606.

The duo was held to 30 points combined. The last time the two combined for 30 or less and won was on Dec. 28, 2004 against Albany.

‘We go as two guys go,’ Boeheim said. ‘Those two guys have got to be there for us every night.’

McNamara shot 2 of 11 from the 3-point line and scored 18 points as he played in all 40 minutes against the No. 6 Eagles (22-1, 11-1 Big East). Warrick only managed to score 12 points, eight below his season average, while grabbing just four rebounds in 40 minutes.

Other than Syracuse’s lack of rebounding, the No. 9 Orange (22-5, 9-4) was competitive with the Eagles. SU took a 25-24 lead with 2:29 remaining in the first half when McNamara fed Warrick for an easy lay-up.

It was Warrick’s 10th point of the half and it seemed he was on his way to an easy 20-point night against a slower, less athletic Nate Doornekamp. But Warrick would not score another basket for the next 20 minutes.

Less than a minute later, Doornekamp made a costly error that swung the momentum even more in Syracuse’s favor. BC called a timeout in Syracuse’s defensive end and as Doornekamp and Warrick headed for their respective sidelines, there was a confrontation.

‘He pushed me,’ Warrick said. ‘I don’t know why, but he did it right in front of the ref. Then he just started talking, so the ref just (gave him a technical foul.)’

Boos rained down from the BC student section as McNamara hit the two technical free throws. Josh Pace netted another two on the ensuing possession and the Orange had a 29-27 lead going into halftime. It was the last time SU would lead all game, though.

‘(Warrick) got the ball the first two plays of the second half,’ Boeheim said. ‘He got an air ball and a turnover.’

Warrick was stifled by Doornekamp’s sound defensive play, attempting only three second-half field goals.

‘I don’t know why he didn’t get more shots,’ BC head coach Al Skinner said. ‘We didn’t defend him differently in the second half than we did in the first half.

‘(Doornekamp) had guarded him before and had little success. I thought he took a little more pride this time. I thought when Warrick got the ball, we played him the way we wanted to play him in the second half.’

Meanwhile, McNamara was 1-of-7 from the 3-point line in the second half.

Boston College widened its lead to eight before SU crept back to cut it to one with 27 seconds remaining. But Syracuse couldn’t make up the difference.

McNamara air balled a 3 with 20 seconds left that would’ve tied the game. SU guard Louie McCroskey was forced to pick up his fifth foul on the next possession, allowing BC’s Jermaine Watson to hit two free throws, giving the Eagles a three-point lead.

As BC fans mocked McNamara with GER-RY chants, he got the ball on SU’s last possession a foot outside the top of the key. He missed again.

‘We want Gerry shooting there,’ Warrick said. ‘He’s our best clutch shooter and we definitely wanted to get him the ball. We got him an open look, but we want him to take it no matter what.’

BC’s students mobbed the court in delight after the game, knowing they had defeated their highest-ranked opponent this season.

‘Guys were clearly ready to play,’ Skinner said of his team. ‘They had a tremendous amount of respect for Syracuse. They knew that they couldn’t relinquish a lot and come back – this was too good of a basketball team.’

Published on February 19, 2005 at 12:00 pm