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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim thought he lost
his first game of the season. And so did everybody else at the
Carolina Coliseum on Thursday night.
"That's when senior leadership helps out. We knew we had to
make big shots and we made them," said Ryan Blackwell, who scored
six of his 15 points in overtime as the Orangemen (No. 6 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) remained the nation's only undefeated major Division I team with a 77-74 victory over South Carolina.
|  | | Kueth Duany drives against South Carolina's Antonio Grant. |
"It was the only time in my life I didn't know what the score
was," said Boeheim, who walked toward South Carolina's bench to
shake hands with Gamecocks coach Eddie Fogler when the horn
sounded.
His team got him straight about the overtime, then straightened
up from their poor shooting -- the Orangemen (13-0) were 23-of-55 --
to win their third straight road game and move just two games away
from their best start ever, 15-0 in 1986-87.
"We didn't get down," said Blackwell, whose 3-pointer with a
minute left in regulation put Syracuse ahead 56-55. "We talked
about this a lot since last year. But Jason (Hart), myself and Etan
(Thomas) want to take it upon ourselves to take over, take
control."
Hart, who was just 3-of-9 from the field, followed Blackwell's 3 with his own to make it 59-57. Thomas, who was 8-of-9 for 19 points
and had five blocks, was the reason Syracuse wasn't headed over
with their coach to congratulate the Gamecocks (9-6).
While the rest of teammates were struggling, Thomas caught fire. His three straight baskets brought Syracuse back from a 40-34
deficit. Another with 2:47 left made it 53-all.
"You always think about whether you can come back," Thomas said. "But with the players we have, we know we always have a chance."
After Antonio Grant tipped in a missed foul shot to make it
59-59 with 19 seconds to go, Blackwell's second 3-point try -- had
only made two all season -- fell short.
Syracuse took off in overtime with a jumper by Damone Brown, a 3-pointer by Tony Bland and, after his first steal, a foul shot by
Blackwell for a 65-59 lead.
The Gamecocks got within 76-74 on Aaron Lucas' basket with 4.3 seconds left, but Blackwell made the second of two free throws on
the next possession and Herbert Lee Davis' halfcourt heave bounded
away.
"I thought we won this with three or four minutes of good
offensive basketball in overtime," Boeheim said.
The Orangemen made 13 of 22 foul shots in overtime.
South Carolina was ahead 51-44 after Chuck Eidson's foul shot with seven minutes left. But Thomas, who led Syracuse with 19
points, had a free throw and two inside baskets, the last with 2:47
remaining, to tie things at 53-all.
The Orangemen had built their mark with 10 straight victories at the Carrier Dome and then wins at Miami and West Virginia the past
week. They looked a step slow and off target in their third game
since Saturday night.
Hart was only 2-of-8 from the field before his 3-pointer in the
closing minute of regulation. Blackwell, who finished with 15
points, was only 1-of-6 in the first half.
But Thomas, who did not score in the game's final eight minutes, kept Syracuse in it.
Davis scored 20 points and Eidson had 14 for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina kept it a lot closer than last season's
nationally televised 84-37 loss in the Carrier Dome. The Gamecocks
trailed 37-14 by halftime on the way to its fourth worst loss in
school history in that one.
Fogler said he watched the first half of that game Wednesday.
"And I forgot how bad it was so I didn't watch the second
half," he said.
This time, it was the Gamecocks streaking early behind Eidson
and Davis.
Eidson scored six points in an 11-0 run as South Carolina went
on top 26-20. After Bland's 3-pointer brought the Orangemen within
a point, Davis started a 7-3 spurt with a foul shot and a
high-flying, windmill slam of Lucas' missed 3-pointer.
The Gamecocks led 33-28 at halftime.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Syracuse Clubhouse
South Carolina Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Tony Bland gets the steal and fires it to Etan Thomas for the slam.
avi: 761 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Herbert Lee Davis throws down the missed shot.
avi: 670 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Chuck Eidson takes the hard foul, but gets the shot to fall.
avi: 814 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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