By Fitzgerald Cecilio

Syracuse, NY

Jim Boeheim clinched his 900th career coaching win after Syracuse squeezed out a hard-earned 72-68 win over Detroit at the Carrier Dome.

With the historic win, Boeheim joined Mike Krzyzewski and Bobby Knight as the only members of the prestigious 900-club at the Division I level.

Boeheim stands out among the three as he is the only one who won all 900 games at one school.

"You win these games with support and players. If you coach a long time, you're going to win a lot of games, it is a simple as that. I am in a good place and I've always felt I was," Boeheim said after the win.

The win also extended the Orange's home-court winning streak to 30 straight games -- the longest stretch in the nation, and boosted the regular season, non-conference victory run to 32 consecutive games.

Senior James Southerland scored 22 points on 7-of-12 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three-point range while Michael Carter-Williams recorded his sixth straight double-double of the season, contributing 12 points and a team-high 10 assists for the Orange (9-0).

Juwan Howard Jr. and Doug Anderson scored 18 points apiece while Nick Minnerath added 13 for the Titans, who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end but not without a fight.

Syracuse grabbed a 22-point advantage, 61-39, with 9:30 remaining in the second half, after a 5-0 run led by freshman Jerami Grant.

Detroit then scored 16 unanswered points to cut the deficit to just three. Leading by just 67-64 with 29 seconds left, Carter-Williams sank five foul shots to seal the win.

The Orange shot a scorching 56 percent from the field in the first half but went ice cold in the second half with a 35-percent clip.

The Titans made 34 percent of their shots in the first half but bounced back in the second half with a 58-percent shooting from the field.

"We thought we had control of the game and it is a good lesson to learn, because you never have control of the game," Boeheim said.

 

 

Jim Boeheim Earns 900th Win as Syracuse Downs Detroit