Published: February 11, 2007
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Demetris
Nichols had a career-high 37 points -- 26 in the second half -- and
added 10 rebounds, and Syracuse held off St. John's 76-74 on
Sunday.
Syracuse (17-8, 6-5 Big East), which had lost four of its last
five to fall into the middle of the Big East standings, avenged a
64-60 loss to St. John's (14-11, 5-7) three weeks ago.
Nichols, the leading scorer in the Big East, also had a
career-high seven 3-pointers and was 14-for-24 from the field. Andy
Rautins finished with 14 points, Darryl Watkins had 11 points and
eight rebounds, and Eric Devendorf had a career-high nine
assists.
Anthony Mason led the Red Storm with 21 points, Eugene Lawrence
and Lamont Hamilton 14 apiece, and Avery Patterson 12.
St. John's led for much of what was a close game throughout, but
the Orange finally caught up on consecutive 3s by Rautins, the
second from the top of the key giving Syracuse a 62-57 lead with
6:52 left.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Hamilton and Lawrence gave St. John's
a 63-62 lead with 5:02 remaining, but Watkins converted two free
throws and Nichols made two more before hitting his final 3 of the
game to put Syracuse ahead for good, 69-63, with 3:32 left.
After Nichols hit a fadeaway jumper over the outstretched arms
of Mason along the baseline, Mason came back with a 3 from the
right corner with 49 seconds to go to move the Red Storm back
within 71-68.
When Josh Wright missed two free throws with 44 seconds left,
Syracuse seemed ready to collapse as it has so frequently this
season. But Watkins grabbed the offensive rebound after Wright's
second miss and made two free throws, and Devendorf and Wright
combined to make three more foul shots to save the game and make
Hamilton's 3 at the final buzzer meaningless.
St. John's held a 34-31 halftime lead, and after Terrence
Roberts was called for goaltending on the first possession of the
second half, Nichols went on one of his amazing scoring sprees. He
hit three 3-pointers and netted 19 points in just over eight
minutes, his fadeaway jumper along the baseline over Lawrence
putting the Orange up 53-50 at 11:39.
Early in the season, Nichols outscored Colgate 24-22 in the
second half despite sitting the last seven minutes of the game, and
he also had 15 straight in a win over Villanova last month.
Mason and Lawrence each scored 11 points for the Red Storm in
the tight first half, which was tied five times. St. John's had the
biggest lead of the period, 34-28, on Patterson's free throw after
a technical against Roberts, his third foul of the game, with 63
seconds remaining.
Nichols swished a 3 at the buzzer to pull Syracuse within 34-31.
It was Syracuse's first basket in nearly four minutes.