The ball nearly rolled off the rim but it sank back through the hoop. That’s where it’s supposed to land when Demetris Nichols shoots the ball.

The shooting from Syracuse’s senior swingman does not thrive on lucky bounces. But on a day where nearly every shot fell for him, it wasn’t surprising the basketball eventually dropped in the bucket.

Nichols kicked his right foot up, clapped his hands, and made his way back to the other side of the court. But his celebration stopped and he quickly focused back on the defensive end, stealing a pass from St. John’s Avery Patterson before drawing an intentional foul with 3:43 remaining in the game.

SU forward Darryl Watkins and guard Eric Devendorf sank free-throws to clinch Syracuse’s 76-74 win over St. John’s on Sunday afternoon in front of 24,106 at the Carrier Dome. It’s almost an understatement to say Nichols won the game for the Orange.

His career-high 37 points were almost half of Syracuse’s total points. Nichols shot 14-of-24 from the field, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range. Both of those numbers represented more than half of SU’s field goals. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and played the entire game.

The output tops Nichols’ previous career-high set this season against Drexel on Dec. 19 when he scored 31 points.

Nichols’ offensive outburst couldn’t arrive at a better time. Syracuse currently stands at 6-5 in the Big East and rests on the NCAA Tournament bubble with five regular season games left.

SU sophomore guard Andy Rautins provided sharp shooting with 14 points, and Watkins provided an inside presence with 11 points. But Nichols’ offensive numbers carried Syracuse on its own, helping the Orange win despite all of St. John’s starters scoring in double figures.

‘Guys were screening for him and they were getting him open,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘That was the best shooting game I’ve ever seen than I think anybody has had in here under good defensive pressure. St. John’s is a good defensive team. He made shots, some of them that were incredibly hard to make.’

Syracuse went on an offensive dry spell when it couldn’t make a basket for nearly the last four minutes of the first half. Luckily for SU, St. John’s didn’t fare much better as it only increased a 30-28 lead by four points from the 4:01 mark to the 1:03 mark. But Devendorf found Nichols open on the left wing and he hoisted a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining in the first half to reduce the Red Storm’s lead to 34-31.

Nichols carried his hot shot into the second half. He made another 3-pointer just after a minute of play. He made two free-throws and another 3-pointer a minute later. Going back to his shot before halftime, he scored 10 points in two minutes and three seconds.

After Nichols made the first 3-pointer in the second half, he said he knew he would have the type of offensive performance where every jumper would result in an SU field goal.

‘I was in one of my zones,’ Nichols said. ‘It’s a great feeling. I can’t really explain it. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. I’ll tell you that. When I feel like I’m in one of my zones, I don’t think anybody can stop me.’

Nichols did this all for 40 minutes with very few moments where the small forward stood idly. Rautins credits Nichols’ endurance and alluded to his workout routine and attitude toward practice. It’s a habit that makes Rautins argue Nichols is the hardest worker for SU.

‘When you have Demetris hot like that, we have to do whatever we can to get him the ball,’ Rautins said. ‘He did a good job himself with getting himself open. We set double (screens) for him and he came back and came through the opposite way. He had a hand in his face a lot of time, too. So I think Demetris did a great overall job tonight.’

Though Boeheim credits SU for its offensive movement by limiting itself to 14 turnovers and making 21 assists, the head coach knows Nichols won’t always carry the team no matter how much more consistent he’s been this year.

‘Demetris isn’t going to get 37 (points) every night,’ Boeheim said. ‘I hope he can. But I don’t think he can. We have to play better defense if we’re going to finish the season the way we would like to.’

Published on February 11, 2007 at 12:00 pm