DePaul University Athletics
Syracuse Upsets No. 21 DePaul 92-84
11/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
- Box Score
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - DePaul seemed to forget everything it practiced while preparing for its game against Syracuse.
Preston Shumpert scored a career-high 36 points and Syracuse held off a furious second-half rally to upset No. 21 DePaul 92-84 in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout on Thursday night.
``We had all preseason to prepare for Preston, and we didn't get it done,'' DePaul coach Pat Kennedy said. ``He was a one-man gang out there. You can't let a guy like that loose and let him light it up.''
With two freshmen starting, Kennedy said his Blue Demons couldn't break Syracuse's tough 2-3 zone.
``No one plays a zone better than Syracuse,'' Kennedy said. ``We just played too soft, gave them too many easy looks.''
DeShaun Williams had 25 points and Damone Brown 16 for the Orangemen (2-0).
Lance Williams led DePaul (1-1) with 18 points, and Bobby Simmons had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
``My team did a good job of finding me in key situations,'' Shumpert said.
One of those situations came with 3:58 remaining after the Blue Demons had trimmed a 21-point deficit to 80-73. Shumpert drained a 3-pointer to blunt the rally.
``I think without that shot the game goes down to the wire,'' Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.
``You can't spot a team 20 points and expect to come back,'' Kennedy said.
Syracuse's big early lead was due in part to DePaul's 11 first-half turnovers.
``It looked like we couldn't pass and catch for the first 12 minutes,'' Kennedy said. The Blue Demons did a better job of handling the ball in the second half with just seven turnovers.
Syracuse led 69-52 with 10:35 left, but the Orangemen's frontcourt got into foul trouble and created an opportunity for DePaul to mount a comeback.
The Blue Demons whittled the lead to 80-73 on Williams' jump hook with about 4:25 left. But Shumpert drained a 3-pointer to stifle the comeback temporarily.
After Orangemen centers Billy Celuck and Jeremy McNeil fouled out, a 3-pointer by DePaul's Rashon Burno cut the margin to 86-80 with 1:05 left. But Brown hit five free throws and Allen Griffin one in the final 44 seconds to seal the win.
The Blue Demons had trouble penetrating Syracuse's zone in the first half as the 7-foot Celuck blocked two shots and disrupted attempts to pound the ball inside. DePaul turned the ball over 11 times in the first 20 minutes as Syracuse led by as many as 16.
DePaul got 10 points from reserve Steve Hunter and the Blue Demons made 13 of 17 free throws in the first half.
``We hit some big shots early and were able to use our spread offense,'' Boeheim said. ``We did just enough defensively to get the job done.''
Syracuse faces Ohio State and Missouri takes on Valparaiso in the semifinals on Friday. Rhode Island takes on Alaska-Anchorage and DePaul will face Florida State in the consolation bracket.