ALBANY – Forget the talk of Gerry McNamara’s long off-season layoff. Sure, McNamara took three months off this summer – the longest he’s ever been away from basketball.

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

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

The momentum McNamara grabbed in that game seemingly carried straight over into Saturday’s game at Siena. McNamara picked the perfect time for another breakout game, leading No. 3 Syracuse with 29 points in the Orange’s 78-56 victory over the Saints in front of 14,743 fans.‘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’s outburst propelled the Orange (5-0) 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 the NBA 3-point line. But McNamara stuck the jumper 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 SU jumped 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 to be able to distance itself 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 in the game, 13 of which came in the second half. The Orange also shot just 38 percent in the second half after shooting 53 percent in the opening 20 minutes.

When Siena threatened a comeback, McNamara again saved the game. With Syracuse up 14 with nearly 14 minutes to play, he 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 McNamara and Boeheim felt he could’ve scored a lot more. McNamara shot 6-of-14 from 3-point range – 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. Hakim Warrick scored just 13 points and struggled from the foul line, hitting 5 of 10 free throws. Josh Pace was the only other SU player in double figures, also netting 13.

Boeheim, who’s still looking for scoring 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 29, 2004 at 12:00 pm