PITTSBURGH – By the time the Syracuse men’s basketball team realized the predicament, it was already too late. While SU’s biggest stars – Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara – lit up the stat sheet, SU fell deeper into Pittsburgh’s trap. Warrick and McNamara effectively took over SU’s game against Pittsburgh on Saturday at the Peterson Events Center.

All the while, their teammates stood around, missed shots and contributed next to nothing. They were D-list actors to the Orange’s biggest stars. The Panthers were content to let SU’s stars keep firing, knowing that the Orange couldn’t possibly mount a comeback on the backs of only two contributors.

No. 4 Syracuse lost to No. 20 Pittsburgh, 76-69, on Saturday night despite strong performances by McNamara and Warrick. The duo combined for 51 of SU’s 69 points – McNamara led SU with 26 and Warrick contributed 25. But the rest of the Orange struggled to find its rhythm. No other SU player scored more than four points.

‘We can’t win with two guys,’ said SU head coach Jim Boeheim. ‘We tried that last year and it didn’t work for us. We have to get better balance.’

The biggest culprit was forward Josh Pace, who along with Warrick and McNamara was dubbed by Boeheim as one of the ‘Big Three.’ He took three shots and scored only two points. That’s how SU’s trio of performers turned into a ‘Big Two.’

The Orange quickly realized it couldn’t lean on them alone. Sophomores Louie McCroskey and Terrence Roberts chipped in four points apiece, abysmal numbers considering they were SU’s other top scorers. Reserve point guard Billy Edelin was SU’s next-highest scorer with three points.

‘We should have helped more,’ McCroskey said. ‘We could have helped more.’

The Panthers exacted payback for last season, when SU ended Pitt’s 40-game home winning streak and handed the Panthers their first-ever loss at the Peterson Events Center. The Panthers’ run came slowly and meticulously. As in previous years, Pitt sliced through SU’s 2-3 zone with precision passing and a ferocious rebounding effort. Meanwhile, SU (20-2, 7-1 Big East) was lifeless after the Panthers (14-3, 4-2) switched to a zone from its usual man-to-man late in the first half. That forced the Orange to settle for 3-point shots, a departure from its strong inside play that marked the first half.

SU shot only 35 percent after halftime, and fired eight more 3-pointers (15), than it did in the first 20 minutes.

From there, Pitt extended its lead to 15, leading 67-52 with 2:22 left in the game. And while SU mounted a mini-run led by – whom else? – Warrick and McNamara. It wasn’t enough.

‘(My teammates) know that me and Gerry can’t go out there and try to do everything,’ Warrick said. ‘We need them to go out there and make some plays.’

Published on January 30, 2005 at 12:00 pm