Georgetown tops Syracuse
by Staff and wire reports , USA TODAY
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Otto Porter scored a career-high 33 points and No. 11 Georgetown beat No. 8 Syracuse 57-46 on Saturday, putting an emphatic stamp on the impending end of an era before an imposing Orange crowd.
Thirty-three years after the Hoyas halted Syracuse’s 57-game home winning streak at Manley Field House, Porter added his name to the pantheon of stars who made this rivalry scintillating over the years.
His incredible play stopped the Orange’s 38-game winning streak in the Carrier Dome, the longest in Division I, and it came in front of a disappointed record crowd of 35,012, the largest ever to see a college basketball on campus. It was the fewest points scored by Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.
It was the final game between Georgetown (21-4, 11-3 Big East) and Syracuse (22-5, 10-4) in the Carrier Dome as members of the conference — the Orange are leaving the Big East in July to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Fittingly, Syracuse began its current streak after a loss to Georgetown just over two years ago. That was Georgetown coach John Thompson III’s first and only win in the Carrier Dome and a huge relief at the time.
The stands surrounding Jim Boeheim Court were jammed with 35,012 fans who transformed the building into a raging sea of orange to celebrate a rivalry that can be traced to a snowy February night in 1980, when former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. became the man Syracuse fans came to despise.
Syracuse and Georgetown entered the game tied with Marquette atop the conference. No. 17 Marquette played later Saturday.
Just how intense the rivalry has been is reflected by Boeheim’s record against the Hoyas. Boeheim, the second-winningest coach in Division I history, is just 37-35 despite an overall record of 912-309, a 74.8 winning percentage.
Georgetown has won nine straight, the longest current winning streak in the league, and the Hoyas will host Syracuse in two weeks.
Porter, who injured his right knee in a win over DePaul on Wednesday night, was unstoppable after a slow start and was the only Georgetown player in double figures. He put the … [For more on Porter, No. 11 Georgetown top No. 8 Syracuse before record crowd, click here.]
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