NIT Record 26,572 See Orange Beat San Diego State

Monday, March 19

Carrier Dome

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

NIT vs. San Diego State

Darryl Watkins' six blocks in the game tied a Syracuse NIT record and gave him the school's single season mark for a senior.

NIT Record 26,572 See Orange Beat San Diego State

3/19/2007 9:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Coach Boeheim Quotes

SU Player Quotes

Syracuse, N.Y.- Second-seeded Syracuse (24-10) defeated sixth-seeded San Diego State (22-11) in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament on Monday night, 80-64. The game was played before 26,572 at the Carrier Dome, the largest crowd in the 70-year history of the NIT.

The SU win was the 750th in the career of head coach Jim Boeheim, putting him in a tie with Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun for 12th on the all-time list and fourth among active Division I coaches.

The Carrier Dome gathering of 26,572 fans broke a 28-year old NIT attendance record of 23,522 set by Kentucky in 1979. Syracuse now hits the road to take on top-seed Clemson in a quarterfinal on Wednesday (7:00 p.m., ESPN2).

Senior forward Demetris Nichols led all scorers with 20 point, his 18th 20-point outing of this seasson. Sophomore guard Andy Rautins tied the Syracuse NIT record with five three-point field goals, one shy of his career-high mark, for 15 points. Senior center Darryl Watkins had six blocks in the game, tying the Syracuse NIT record and giving him 111 on the season, the most ever by a Syracuse senior. It surpassed the 107 Etan Thomas had in 1999-2000. He also had a team-high eight rebounds, an assist and a steal. Senior forward Terrence Roberts also had eight rebounds to go along with eight points. Freshman swingman Paul Harris added 12 points and seven rebounds, and sophomore guard Eric Devendorf dished out seven assists.

Syracuse shot 48 percent from the field in the game (32-66), topping 45 percent in each half. Nine three-pointers established an SU standard for the NIT. The Orange outrebounded the Aztecs, 49-33, and had 21 assists. The Syracuse bench also contributed 25 points, as opposed to just nine for San Diego State. After turning the ball over 11 times in the first half, the Orange committed just four miscues in the second.

The Aztecs took a four-point lead in the first 40 seconds, but the Orange scored on three-consecutive possessions to take its first lead of the game, 6-4. San Diego State was able to work the ball inside and make its next five field goals in the paint. The Orange kept pace from beyond the arc, getting a pair of three-pointers from Rautins and one from Nichols. At the 12 minute mark of the opening period, the score was tied at 15.

With the score tied at 22, Syracuse reeled off a 13-3 run in the span of 4:23. Syracuse scored on 7-of-10 possessions and got seven points from junior guard Josh Wright. San Diego State used a jumper and a pair of three-pointers to pull within a basket, but Nichols' three under the one minute mark gave Syracuse a five-point lead at the half, 38-33.

Syracuse began the second half with a 21-7 run to push its lead to 19 points, 59-40. Roberts got things started with a layup and a dunk, followed by back-to-back threes by Rautins and Nichols. After a three by Brandon Heath cut the lead down to single-digits, Syracuse scored 11 unanswered points. The Orange held San Diego State without a field goal for more than three minutes and forced three turnovers during that span.

San Diego State was unable to cut the deficit back down to single-digits, getting as close as 13 points with 10 minutes to go. Syracuse's lead got a sbig as 20 points after a free throw by Harris at the 7:09 mark. The Orange scored 14 of its last 19 points in the paint and Harris scored seven points in a two-minute span.

Lorrenzo Wade led the Aztecs with 16 points and eight rebounds. He was joined in double figures by Heath with 15 points and Abukar with 14.