Orange Blow Big Lead, Still Win

Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf combined for all but one of Syracuses 15 points in overtime, as the 23rd-ranked Orange blew a huge second-half lead and pulled out a 98-94 victory over Georgetown at the Carrier Dome. Flynn finished with 25 points and Devendorf chipped in 23 for Syracuse (19-7, 7-6 Big East), which wasted a 16-point lead with eight minutes to play in regulation but found a way to win for just the third time in its last nine games. Chris Wright scored a career-high 25 points and Austin Freeman added 19 for the Hoyas (13-10, 4-8), whose free fall continued. Georgetown was ranked 13th on January 14 and beat an eighth-ranked Syracuse squad 88-74 at the Verizon Center. Since then, the Hoyas have lost seven of eight with their lone victory against Rutgers. Georgetowns NCAA Tournament hopes continue to dwindle, and after a visit to South Florida on Wednesday, the Hoyas will have a chance to impress the selection committee with games against Marquette, Louisville and Villanova to end the month of February. Syracuse also needed a victory after back-to-back road losses to Villanova and Connecticut. The Orange will get a second crack at Villanova next Sunday at the Carrier Dome to conclude a 10-game stretch in which nine teams -- including Georgetown and Villanova twice -- have been ranked at one point this season. Devendorf drilled a pair of three-pointers in the extra session and his second of the period gave the Orange a 91-89 lead with just under two minutes to play. Wright missed a three-point try at the other end and Flynn hit two from the line with 49.8 seconds left to give Syracuse a four-point edge. Freeman and Paul Harris traded a free throw apiece to keep the margin the same and Greg Monroe scored inside with 20 seconds remaining to pull the Hoyas within 94-92. Devendorf leaked out for a home run pass to beat the pressure for an easy basket to extend the lead back to four and Monroe followed a miss with a layup to again make it a two-point game with 8.6 seconds left. Flynn was fouled immediately on the inbounds play and hit two from the stripe to seal it. Syracuse, which was a dismal 10-of-23 from the line in the January loss at Georgetown, made 26-of-34 on Saturday. Flynn, who also contributed 13 assists, hit 15-of-16 from the stripe. Georgetown trailed 66-50 with 8:10 remaining in regulation after a Devendorf three-pointer, but a run of seven straight points trimmed the deficit to single digits and the Hoyas continued to hang around. DaJuan Summers sandwiched a pair of three-pointers around one free throw from Flynn to pull the Hoyas within 76-71 with 1:25 to play. Another three by Wright with 38 seconds left made it a four-point game and the Orange turned it over on the inbounds pass, leading to another quick bucket by Freeman. After Flynn hit two from the line and Monroe scored inside to keep it a two- point game, Rick Jackson made just one at the stripe with 23 seconds remaining to keep the Hoyas alive. Wright delivered with a 30-foot bomb to tie it and the Orange turned it over at the other end to give Georgetown a chance at a stunning win. Summers, though, missed a good look from the top of the key as time expired in regulation. Summers finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in defeat, while Monroe posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. Georgetown held a 31-24 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the first half before Syracuse closed with a 9-1 run. Flynn had five points and two assists to fuel the spurt and his dish to Jackson for a layup gave the Orange a 33-32 edge heading to the break. Syracuse remained hot to start the second half, scoring the first nine points. Arinze Onuaku had four points, Devendorf canned a three-pointer and Jacksons bucket inside made it 42-32 with 16:49 remaining. The Orange built a 15-point advantage at 57-42 after a basket by Devendorf, but Freeman and Jessie Sapp drained consecutive three-pointers to pull the Hoyas within nine just before the 10-minute mark. Onuaku was fouled on Syracuses next trip and the burly center sent the crowd into a frenzy by making both free throws. He entered the game with just two free throws made in his last 22 attempts. The surprising two ignited a 9-2 run that gave Syracuse its 66-50 cushion. Onuaku finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Jackson and Andy Rautins each scored 13 in the victory. Game Notes Flynn became the 51st Syracuse player to reach 1,000 career points...Onuaku notched his sixth double-double of the season...Syracuse improved to 5-2 in overtime games against Georgetown...Devendorf made 5-of-9 from three-point range for the Orange, while Wright countered with a 5-for-8 effort for the Hoyas...Georgetown has lost five straight at Syracuse, and hasnt won at the Carrier Dome since 2002.