It Goes Like Clockwork Orange
LEXINGTON, Ky. — In a game that see-sawed in the final minute, all Syracuse wanted was the last shot.
Marius Janulis got that opportunity, making a three-point shot from the top of the key with 1.2 seconds left to give Syracuse a 63-61 victory over Iona in the first round of the NCAA South Regional on Friday.
“They kept making shots, we kept making shots,” Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim said. “He’s [Janulis] been knocking them down all year. We had the last shot and he knocked it in.”
Syracuse (25-8) fell behind, 61-60, after Iona’s John McDonald made a three-point shot with 24.2 seconds to go.
After a timeout, the Orangemen worked the ball around the perimeter, with it ending up in Todd Burgan’s hands. Burgan drove the right side of the lane but his shot was blocked by Kashif Hameed.
Burgan got his own rebound, and quickly passed it to a wide-open Janulis, who made his second three-point shot in the final minute.
Janulis, who has made 71 three-point shots in 175 attempts (40%) this season, was ready for the opportunity.
“If someone drives and is double-teamed, they are to kick the ball to me,” said Janulis, a senior swingman from Lithuania. “Todd made a great play. I just happened to be wide open over there.”
After timeouts by both teams, Iona’s Tariq Kirksay’s floor-length pass was deflected out of bounds as time expired.
Iona (27-6), seeking to run its record to 3-0 against Big East teams this season, was led by Hameed’s 17 points. Iona Coach Tim Welsh was an assistant to Boeheim at Syracuse from 1989-91.
New Mexico 79, Butler 62--Reserve center Ben Baum picked up the slack for foul-plagued Kenny Thomas by scoring 14 points and making all three of his three-point shots.
Baum, who spent his first two collegiate seasons backing up Bryant “Big Country” Reeves at Oklahoma State, came into the game with seven three-point baskets in a four-year career.
Two of Baum’s three-point shots came during a 15-4 New Mexico run in the first half when Thomas on the bench because of foul trouble. Thomas finished with three points--17 below his average.
Lobo guard David Gibson suffered a concussion early in the second half and didn’t play thereafter.
New Mexico (24-7) will play Syracuse in the second round Sunday. Butler (22-11) lost a first-round game for the second consecutive year.
Duke 99, Radford 63--Duke got the reception it expected--a Rupp Arena full of boos--and also produced the lopsided victory that was expected.
Angered by Blue Devil Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s complaints about having to play in Lexington, the majority of the 16,824 fans pulled for Radford (20-10) in its first NCAA tournament appearance.
However, Duke (30-3) was in control throughout, taking a 51-19 halftime as Roshown McLeod scored 19 points to match Radford’s total.
Duke had five players score in double figures, led by McLeod’s 23 points.
Oklahoma State 74, George Washington 59--The Cowboys (22-6) compiled a 48-29 rebound advantage against the taller Colonials (24-9) in improving their first-round tournament record to 14-1.
George Washington had outrebounded teams by 5.2 a game. The Colonials’ 7-foot-1 Alexander Koul, averaging 12.8 points and 6.8 rebounds, had three points and seven rebounds.
Andre Peterson led Oklahoma State with 23 points, while Desmond Mason had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Oklahoma State’s Eddie Sutton, who coached at Kentucky from 1985-89 and resigned during the end of an NCAA investigation, received a loud round of boos when introduced before the game.
The Cowboys play Duke in the second round Sunday.
