The Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – DeShaun Williams scored 24 points and hit two clutch 3-pointers as Syracuse beat Ohio State 77-66 on Friday in a foul-plagued semifinal game of the Great Alaska Shootout.

Saturday, November 25, 2000

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – DeShaun Williams scored 24 points and hit two clutch 3-pointers as Syracuse beat Ohio State 77-66 on Friday in a foul-plagued semifinal game of the Great Alaska Shootout.

Syracuse (3-0) met Missouri (3-0) Saturday for the championship.

After abysmal first-half shooting by Ohio State staked the Orangemen to a 33-18 lead, the game turned into a free- throw shooting contest as officials called 59 fouls, 32 on Syracuse. Three players on each team fouled out.

With several Orangemen in foul trouble, Ohio State converted most of their free throws and took several brief leads midway through the second half.

But the Buckeyes got into foul trouble themselves and four free throws by Preston Shumpert put Syracuse ahead for good with 9:10 to go.

It remained close until Williams hit his second 3-pointer in two minutes to give the Oragnemen enough cushion to win.

Damone Brown’s dunk with about a minute and two blocked shots by Brown ended the Buckeyes’ hopes.

Ohio State had no answer for Syracuse’s zone defense the first half. Ohio State (2-1) scored the game’s first field goal but then went seven minutes without a basket until Sean Connally came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer with 12:48 remaining in the half.

That would be the Buckeyes’ only field goal from outside the paint in the first half. Another seven minutes went by before they got another field goal, a runner by Brian Brown.

Despite shooting just 19 percent, Ohio State trailed by just 33-18 at the half.

Brown led Ohio State (2-1) with 18 points, including 11-18 from the free thrown line.