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Syracuse Claims Another OT Win

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The Associated Press

Published: March 14, 2009

Updated: 03/14/2009 12:23 am

NEW YORK - Syracuse went five more minutes instead of five more overtimes.

The 18th-ranked Orange, less than 24 hours after winning the second-longest Division I game ever, played just one extra period in a 74-69 victory against West Virginia on Friday night in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament.

Instead of people running for the history books to compare its win as it did after beating Connecticut 127-117 in six overtimes in the quarterfinals, Syracuse had a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden shaking its heads when regulation ended in a tie.

The Orange (26-8) will face top-seeded and fifth-ranked Louisville in the championship game tonight. The Cardinals advanced to their first title game with a 69-55 victory against fourth-seeded and 10th-ranked Villanova.

It will be Syracuse's 14th championship game and first since 2005 when Gerry McNamara led the Orange on a memorable four-game run to their fifth title.

NO. 5 LOUISVILLE 69,

NO. 10 VILLANOVA 55
Earl Clark scored 17 points, and fifth-ranked Louisville turned up the pressure in the second half with two big runs to beat No. 10 Villanova and reach the Big East Tournament championship game for the first time.
Jerry Smith added 16 points for the Cardinals (27-5), who snapped out of a shooting funk from beyond the arc by hitting 13 3-pointers in winning their ninth straight game.

Louisville advanced to play either No. 18 Syracuse and try for its first conference tournament title since 2005, when the school was still a member of Conference USA.

Meanwhile, it was another disappointing tournament for Villanova, which hasn't won consecutive games here since 2004 and hasn't reached the tournament championship since 1997.
Dante Cunningham and Corey Fisher scored 14 each to lead Villanova.

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