NEW YORK – They came off the bench as two unsuspecting plugs in Syracuse’s lineup. Trevor Cooney and Baye Moussa Keita weren’t the names expected to lift the Orange to a gritty overtime win over rival Georgetown in the Big East tournament semifinals.

Each of them, though, ended up performing in ways they hadn’t all year under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

Cooney and Keita finished with games that left even their teammates in awe, helping send the Orange to a 58-55 overtime win over the Hoyas. Cooney found his stroke that eluded him for much of the season, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including two huge 3-pointers in the first half. Keita, meanwhile, was swift under the basket and poised at the free-throw line. He scored 13 points, and hit all seven of his free-throw attempts, including four in the final four minutes of regulation.

“Baye was just unbelievable tonight,” head coach Jim Boeheim said. “And Trevor Cooney, he struggled this year, but we know he can shoot. We have faith in him.”

Cooney had one 3-pointer in his last 10 games, and it came against Marquette back on Feb. 25. Coming into the season, Cooney was expected to be a weapon on the arc. Instead he played sporadically and never warmed up on the perimeter.

Until Friday.

He hit a jumper from the left corner just over eight minutes into the game. It was nice, but it wasn’t a 3.

That wouldn’t come for about another five minutes. Stationed on the left wing, he took a pass from Brandon Triche that swished through the net to give Syracuse a 20-17 lead.

It gave Cooney the jolt of confidence he needed.

“The first one was nice, but once I hit the 3 that was big-time,” Cooney said. “That definitely added a lot of confidence to me, which was good.”

Cooney said it felt like practice. He said he’s been trying to change his mindset, working to stay calm coming into each game. When emotions peaked, Cooney was at his calmest.

Three minutes later, he hit another 3-pointer from the right corner. On Syracuse’s next possession, he made a backdoor cut into Georgetown’s defense and took a pass from Keita for the layup.

Cooney led all scorers with 10 points at halftime.

“It was incredible, honestly,” guard Brandon Triche said. “I wouldn’t mind just sitting on the bench if he’s going to play like that. If he’s knocking down shots, getting rebounds, it definitely inspired me to go out there and give the same energy that he gave us.”

But while Cooney lifted Syracuse from the outside, Keita went to work on the inside.

Keita was matched up with Hoyas forward Nate Lubick, who had a 20-pound advantage on him. The paint was continuously clogged, but Keita used his quickness to his advantage.

With just over nine minutes left in regulation, C.J. Fair missed a transition jumper from the lane. Keita was right behind him, grabbed the rebound and nailed the putback jumper to make it 45-37 Syracuse.

“Tonight was a night to make a statement that we’re going to play hard and make sure, we knew the game was going to be close,” Keita said, “but we’re going to make sure we won this game.”

In overtime, Syracuse guard Michael Carter-Williams missed a fast-break layup. Keita was right there to get the putback to give Syracuse a 55-51 lead.

Perhaps his finest work came at the free-throw line. Keita had only taken six free throws in his last 11 games. But seemingly all seven he hit on Thursday came at critical points.

His final two came after Carter-Williams missed a jumper and Keita gobbled up the rebound. In the process, he drew a foul from Georgetown guard Jabril Trawick. With the score tied at 49, Keita stepped to the free-throw line and coolly nailed both.

“I think I was just more comfortable on the line tonight,” Keita said. “I think that made a big difference.”

Cooney and Keita came up with key plays at both ends of the floor and combined for 23 points – 40 percent of SU’s total.

“It was great. They were great tonight and they were a big part of our team,” Carter-Williams said. “To have them is unbelievable.”

Published on March 16, 2013 at 12:36 am

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman