March 4, 2003
By TOM COYNE
AP Sports Writer
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – Billy Edelin had a season-high 26 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 14 of his 21 in the second half as No. 12 Syracuse beat No. 16 Notre Dame 92-88 Tuesday night, the Irish’s third straight loss.
The Irish (21-8, 9-6 Big East), who trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half, tied the score at 86 on a 3-pointer by Matt Carroll with 2:02 left. But Anthony scored inside over Dan Miller to give the Orangemen the lead again. After Torrian Jones made two free throws to tie the score for the Irish, Anthony gave the Orangemen (22-4, 12-3) the lead on a rebound basket.
The Irish had one last chance, but a 3-pointer by Chris Thomas rolled around the rim and out. Kueth Duany added two free throws for Syracuse with 8.5 seconds left.
Syracuse swept the season series with the Irish and clinched a first-round bye in the Big East tournament. The Irish, who have lost five of eight, will finish fourth in the West Division.
Gerry McNamara, who scored 13 points in the first 6:18 of the game, had 20 points for the Orangemen, while Hakim Warrick had 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Orangemen shot 56.2 percent, the second straight game an opponent shot better than 50 percent against the Irish.
It also was the third straight game the Irish have fallen behind by double figures. They trailed Connecticut by 17 points in the second half and last-place Rutgers by 24 points in the first half.
Carroll had 28 points, going 8-of-16 from beyond the arc to tie the school record for 3-pointers and break by one the school record for attempts. Torin Francis scored 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Thomas had 16 points. The Irish shot 33.3 percent in the first half, 43.7 percent for the game.
The Orangemen outscored the Irish 54-34 in the paint.
The Irish opened the second half with a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 51-47. The Orangemen kept the lead at six points or more until the Irish used a 9-4 lead to make it 84-83 on a three-point play by Francis with 3:04 left.
The Irish managed to tie the score twice, but could never take the lead as they lost at home for the second straight game after winning their previous 14 this season.