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Flynn's 3-pointer lifts Syracuse over Saint Joseph's

Nov 14, 2007 - 4:14 AM SYRACUSE, New York (Ticker) -- A night after breaking the Syracuse freshman record for points in a debut, Jonny Flynn needed just one shot to make up for an off night.

Flynn made the go-ahead 3-pointer - his only field goal of the night - with 5.3 seconds remaining to lift No. 25 Syracuse to a 72-69 victory over Saint Joseph's in the second round of the preseason NIT tournament on Tuesday.

"I thought for an early-season game, this was a really, really terrific basketball game," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "I think Saint Joe's is going to win a lot of games this year - they're a really good basketball team."

Syracuse moves on and will face Ohio State in the semifinals of the tournament at Madison Square Garden on November 21.

With the game tied at 68-68, Flynn nailed his only basket of the game after using a pick to free up a wide-open shot at the top of the arc.

"When you're a shooter, you just stay with it," Flynn said. "You have to have confidence all game. Even if you make the first 13 or miss the first 13, you always think the next one is going in."

The freshman, who set a Syracuse record by scoring 28 points in his debut on Monday, was scoreless in the first half and finished with just five points on 1-of-6 shooting from the floor.

Syracuse had scored seven straight points to take a 63-56 lead with under five minutes to play, but Pat Calathes converted a three-point play with 24 seconds left to cap the Hawks' rally and tie the game at 68-68.

Paul Harris had 18 points and 14 rebounds and freshman Donte Greene added 18 points for the Orange, who held a 33-30 halftime lead.

It was the second straight double-double for Harris, who had 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds on Monday.

"I think I'm more confident," Harris said. "Coach plays me more and has more confidence in me, but I want him to have more and I think that will come as the season progresses."

Saint Joseph's scored the game's first 10 points, as Syracuse did not get on the board until 14:16 of the first half.

However, the Orange went on an 11-0 run midway through the first half and held the Hawks scoreless for over seven minutes to take an 18-17 advantage with under five minutes left in the opening period.

"We had to make some big plays," Boeheim said. "Every time they had us down, we came back. We got them down 12 in the second half, they came back. We got them down six, they came back.

"That's a terrific basketball game."

Calathes and Darrin Govens each had 22 points to lead the Hawks (1-1).