Wednesday, February 01, 2006

RU falls to Syracuse at the Dome in OT

Rutgers R.small
Rutgers entered tonight’s contest against Syracuse with a record of futility at the Carrier Dome having gone 0-8 in the Dome. They would leave with that streak intact but not for the lack of trying. They forced Syracuse into overtime on a last second 3-pointer by Marquis Webb before losing 86-84 on a Terrance Roberts 3-point field goal with 0.4 seconds to go.

With Quincy Douby had a career-high 41 points and nine 3-point field goals in the losing cause. The 41 points were a new Dome record by any player and the nine 3-pointers were a new Rutgers record. Even with Douby supplying such offense for the Scarlet Knights—much of it from several counties away—the Knights still had to struggle back from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half.

Quincy Douby had 19 points in the first half but a late Syracuse 12-0 run allowed the Orange to take a 39-35 lead into the break. JR Inman started the scoring in the second half with a 3-point field goal to pull the Knights to within one, but then RU went cold. The Knights struggled as Syracuse built a 10-point lead. RU didn’t get a field goal until Inman jammed it with 13 minutes left. Meanwhile Douby suffered his own cold spell. Getting no points and even sitting for a short time from 11:30 to 11:10. When he returned, however, he promptly found the range. Starting with a lay-up at 10:40, Douby started hitting from long distance. A 30-footer at the 4-minute mark tied the score at 63 and was soon followed by another that made it 66-63 in the Knights’ favor.

Joynes and Ingles fouled out in the last minutes of regulation as the Orange fought back taking a 1-point lead with 30 seconds left. Douby missed a long 3-pointer and Webb lost the rebound out of bounds. Syracuse’s Nichols was fouled on the in bound’s play and made the two free throws to put the Orange up by 3. Webb then made a 3-pointer with 0.3 on the clock to tie the game and send it into overtime with a score of 74 all.

In overtime Douby continued to be hot and it looked like RU would pullout the victory when, after Douby’s ninth 3-pointer, Syracuse’s Josh Wright brought the ball up court too slowly and committed a 10-second violation turning the ball over to the Knights while the Orange were up by one. Little used Frank Russell sank a hook shot for the Knights putting them up by one. Wright made up for his earlier error by sinking a 3-point shot. Sending Syracuse up by two with about 40 seconds left. After a RU took its only time out, Webb missed a three but Inman made a steal followed by an Anthony Farmer 3-pointer with 7.8 seconds left putting RU up, 84-83.

Terrance Roberts made an uncontested 3-point shot with 0.4 seconds left sending Syracuse to an 86-84 victory. It was Roberts second three of the night and only his fifth of the year.

You can get the whole story and statshere.

Rutgers falls to 13-8, 3-5 in the Big East while Syracuse is now 16-6, 4-4 in the Big East.

Rutgers has 8 games remaining in the regular season, all of them in the Big East. Five of those games are on the road (Seton Hall, Notre Dame, South Florida, Georgetown and St. John’s) and RU will have to win one or two of them while sweeping the games in the RAC (Marquette, Saint John’s and South Florida) or be in danger of not making the Big East Tournament.

The Scarlet Knights next play against the Seton Hall Pirates in the Meadowlands on Sunday at noon.

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