MBB | Rough Rhode: Syracuse's second-half meltdown helps Rhode Island pull off dramatic upset

By: Zach Schonbrun

Posted: 12/7/07

The Rhode Island basketball players practically danced their way off the court. Drenched with enough sweat to turn their pale blue jerseys to navy, the Rams momentarily forgot their tired legs and raced out of a hostile Carrier Dome to enjoy the 91-89 win they had just pulled off.

And despite a closed door and cinder block walls, you could still hear them cheering wildly in the locker room.

Jonny Flynn said the game reminded him of the Massachusetts shootout less than two weeks ago. Call it UMass-Lite.

Either way, an Atlantic 10 team came into the Carrier Dome and sprinted out in celebration, leaving a shocked and bewildered Syracuse team struggling for answers.

Despite a brilliant first-half run and a second half lead that reached 11 at its peak, SU stumbled to its third loss of the season in a nail-biter that ended on a missed Paul Harris 3-pointer as time expired Saturday night. A season-high crowd of 21,197 left the Dome angry about a heavy dosage of foul calls and a second-half meltdown that even SU head coach Jim Boeheim had trouble explaining.

"Right now we're just not good enough defensively and rebounding defensively to win these kind of games," Boeheim said. "We did a good job in our man-to-man for the most part. We got beat on the boards, on missed free-throws and just missed shots, and that's very disappointing to get outrebounded by 11 rebounds here. That was really the key."

Syracuse finished with six players scoring in double figures (all five starters, plus freshman Rick Jackson) and shot 53.7 percent from the field. SU point guard Jonny Flynn finished with his second career double-double with 21 points and 10 assists.

Down by double-digits early in the second half, Rhode Island (10-1) methodically plodded its comeback with key defensive stops and lots of trips to the free-throw line, eventually tying the game, 72-72, with a Lamonte Ulmer putback at 7:53. From there, the game went back and forth and neither team could gather enough momentum to put the other away.

Syracuse (6-3) appeared to gain the edge when Paul Harris was fouled taking a transition lay-up with 1:47 remaining to give SU an 87-84 lead, but the Rams came right back with two free throws and a lay-up to grab the lead.

Finally, down 91-89 with 5.6 seconds on the clock, Syracuse couldn't get the ball to its shooters and eventually ended with Harris' desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer hitting the front rim.

"We just tried to push it and just go as far as we could," Boeheim said of the last play.

"This was one of the most exciting wins I've ever been a part of," URI head coach Jim Baron said, "just because the game was going back and forth and it was like two heavyweight fighters going at each other."

Similar to its 107-100 loss to Massachusetts on Nov. 28, the Orange held a halftime advantage and was let down by its defense in the second half. URI scored 48 points after the break despite shooting only 38.9 percent from the field. Twenty-seven trips to the free-throw line on top of 15 offensive rebounds - including several off missed free throws - were the accountable factors for Syracuse's second-half self-destruction.

"I don't even think it was our defense, our defense was pretty good, it was just the rebounding," said Donte Greene, who was held to 12 points in 32 minutes after fouling out.

Rhode Island started the game red hot from outside and quickly a 14-11 lead after four consecutive 3-pointers by guard Jimmy Baron, who among the nation's leaders in 3-point field goals made. But the Orange went on a 22-8 run heading into halftime that seemed like enough to carry it through for a comfortable victory.

In the second half, though, early foul trouble limited what the Orange could do defensively and also put key players Eric Devendorf and Greene on the bench. And as the crowd grew more and more disenchanted with the refereeing, SU seemed to collapse with its own inexperience.

"Not to blame on the refs or nothing, but there were a lot of crazy calls out there. It is what it is," said SU forward Paul Harris, who finished with a season-low two rebounds.

Nothing could explain Syracuse's disappearance on the defensive boards, an area that seemed to be a strong point for the Orange all season long. SU allowed 21 offensive rebounds to a smaller, more physical Rhode Island team that used its hustle and aggressiveness to its advantage.

SU's top three rebounders - Harris, Greene and Arinze Onuaku - finished with just 17 rebounds combined and just six on the offensive end.

Between the poor rebounding and the unsettling foul calls, it was a nightmarish evening for Syracuse and a complete reversal from the feeling after Wednesday's win at Virginia.

"We're definitely not living up to the expectations," Flynn said. "We came into the season with so much hype. One of the top five freshman classes in the country, but you know we're not living up to that hype. We're not winning games."