Dec. 22, 2004 – The Syracuse men’s basketball team shined Wednesday night in its 88-72 win over the Rice Owls, a team that lost by just 10 points to Connecticut on Sunday.

Senior guard Josh Pace led the Orange in scoring with 22 points, but Craig Forth, the 7-foot, 256-pound center, led in intensity. Forth scored a season-high 14 points, all in the second half, shooting 100 percent from the field and 4-for-7 from the foul line.

‘I just wanted to dunk and dunk and dunk,’ Forth said. ‘I think this is the first time I’ve smiled this year out on the court.’

Three of Forth’s five field goals were slam dunks, and his confidence grew with the enthusiasm of the Carrier Dome crowd of 16,488. With 5:20 left in the game, Forth dove head-first toward the basket over Rice forward Michael Harris, who led the Owls with 25 points. Forth’s outstretched arm didn’t make it to the hoop, but he drew a foul as he tumbled to the hardwood, and he converted on his second free throw.

‘He gets picked on a lot,’ junior guard Gerry McNamara said of Forth. ‘For (the fans) to stand up and cheer for him like that, that gave me chills.’

McNamara bounced back from rough outings against Cornell and Drexel, notching 19 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds – just one rebound away from a triple-double. He drove to the basket often to evade Rice’s heavy outside coverage, and he came down with more boards than 6-foot-8 forward Hakim Warrick.

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Eight minutes into the second half, in the wake of two thunderous Forth dunks, a McNamara 3 increased SU’s lead to 14, and the Owls never fought back to within 10.

‘I was a different player tonight,’ McNamara said. ‘I had my legs back. I had my swagger back. And it showed on the floor.’

After five lead changes and nine ties during the first half, Syracuse found its groove, keeping the lead for the final 24:36. As Forth broke into double-digit scoring midway through the second half, SU launched its late-game acrobatics, a barrage of blocked shots, fast breaks and powerful slams.

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim credited the win – and the marked improvement over Monday’s game against Cornell – on a more patient offense and stronger performances from the upperclassmen. He said the younger players have remained inconsistent. And he hopes for further improvement with just two games left before the Jan. 5 Big East opener at St. John’s.

‘It shows exactly how much better we can be,’ Warrick said.

Demetris Nichols, the 6-foot-8 sophomore, remained on the bench Wednesday nursing a back injury. He hasn’t played since Dec. 11 against Binghamton. Boeheim said Nichols practiced Tuesday, but that he will continue to receive treatment and sit out until he’s fully ready.

‘He probably could have played, but he’s still stiff and sore,’ Boeheim said. ‘It’s really his call.’

Published on December 29, 2004 at 12:00 pm