ALBANY – Gerry McNamara took three months off this summer – the longest he’d ever been away from basketball.

But for much of Saturday afternoon at Pepsi Arena, it was the rest of McNamara’s teammates who looked like they had spent months away from the game.

McNamara picked the perfect time for a breakout game, leading No. 4 Syracuse with 29 points in the Orange’s 78-56 victory over Siena on Saturday in front of 14,743 at the Pepsi Arena.

‘I think my game is a lot better than when I started,’ McNamara said. ‘I’m back in a groove. I feel like I’m headed in the right direction.’

McNamara may have looked sluggish in the Orange’s first three games. But the 6-foot-2 junior came alive in the second half of SU’s Nov. 19 77-62 victory over Memphis.

The momentum McNamara grabbed in that game seemingly carried straight over into Saturday’s game at Siena.

McNamara’s outburst – especially in the first half – may have saved the Orange (5-0) from an embarrassingly close call against the winless Saints (0-5). Four minutes into the game, McNamara took the ball on a fast break and turned in a rare one-handed slam.

Just minutes later, McNamara took a 3-pointer that looked to come from beyond even NBA range. But McNamara stuck the jumper, all while taking a shot to his stomach. He then added a free throw to convert the four-point play.

Before the first half ended, McNamara drilled two more 3-pointers. He finished the half with 18 points.

‘If he gets open looks, he’s going to make them,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘We do a good job of finding where he is. He probably could’ve had eight or 10 3s today.’

Besides McNamara, the rest of the Orange still looked to be shaking off Thanksgiving dinner. After jumping out to a quick 18-2 lead, the Saints seemed to figure out SU’s 2-3 zone, cutting the lead to 20-11.

The Orange quickly restored order, mostly behind McNamara, and went to the half with a 46-31 lead.

But in the second half, even more sloppiness prevailed. Despite the 22-point final margin, the Orange never seemed able to completely distance themselves from the Saints. Boeheim said SU’s motion offense pleased him in the first half, but the second half was a different story.

SU committed 20 turnovers for the game, 13 of them coming in the second half. The Orange also shot just 38 percent in the second half, after firing at 53 percent in the opening 20 minutes.

But even when Siena threatened a comeback, McNamara again thrived. With Syracuse up 14 and nearly 14 minutes to play, McNamara drilled back-to-back 3-pointers, padding SU’s lead back to 20.

‘I pride myself on that,’ McNamara said of putting teams away.

Even with his 29-point outburst, both Boeheim and McNamara felt he could’ve scored a lot more. McNamara shot 6-for-14 from 3-point range. It’s a solid number for most guards, but not McNamara, who felt he should’ve hit 11 or 12.

Still, it was plenty for the Orange, which got little contribution from other players. Forward Hakim Warrick scored just 13 points and struggled from the foul line, hitting 5 of 10 shots. Josh Pace was the only other SU player in double figures, also scoring 13 points.

Boeheim, who’s still looking for greater balance, admitted that without McNamara, it could’ve been a long day for SU.

‘We’re not the team we need to be,’ Boeheim said. ‘Two or three guys aren’t going to be able to do it alone.’

Published on November 27, 2004 at 12:00 pm