Score a big one for Minutemen

UMass center Luke Bonner (left)and Syracuse's Paul Harris had plenty of lift for a rebound in the first half. (DENNIS NETT/Associated Press)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Travis Ford jogged down the tunnel leading to his team's locker room. He grinned wide and raised his arms.

"That's right, baby!" the University of Massachusetts coach shouted to no one in particular.

Safe to say Ford's preferred uptempo style of offense, on hold for the first two years of his tenure, has finally arrived.

UMass, which trailed for most of its game against Syracuse last night, rallied for a wild 107-100 win before 20,644 in the Minutemen's first appearance in the Carrier Dome. No opponent has scored more points in the 27-year history of the building.

"We practice for two hours at 94 feet," Ford said. "We do nothing half-court. It paid off tonight."

Syracuse (4-2) could not recover from Gary Forbes's 3-pointer that gave UMass (5-1) a 101-95 lead with 1:10 remaining.

Ricky Harris made four free throws in the final minute.

UMass's 107 points were its most since a 119-114 triple-overtime loss to Rutgers in 1988.

Harris led UMass with 25 points, 20 coming in the second half, when the Minutemen outscored Syracuse, 59-49. Forbes totaled 23 points, his average entering the game.

"We just need to continue to be happy we won and stay under the radar," Ford said.

That will be a challenge. While the Minutemen still have not beaten a ranked team in two-plus seasons under Ford (0-4) - Syracuse entered the game three spots out of the Associated Press Top 25 - the win is arguably the most notable for the coach at UMass.

Up, 51-48, at the break, the Orange appeared poised to run away from the Minutemen in the first five minutes of the second half. Eric Devendorf, who led Syracuse with 23 points, converted a 3-point play for a 70-58 advantage.

No matter.

"I don't know that I've ever been part of a game ever that guys were coming to timeouts smiling," Ford said. "We were down 10. I was the one all upset and they were like, 'Let's go play.' "

Enter forward Dante Milligan, who started the first two games of the season. He brought the Minutemen back with 12 points in less than six minutes. His tip-in got UMass within 80-77 with 9:35 left.

Milligan, who finished with 17 points, neutralized Syracuse's earlier inside dominance.

"Without that performance, I don't know if we win," Ford said. "He really came up with some big plays."

Forbes made bigger ones. The senior tied the game at 84 with 6:50 left, before giving his team its first lead since the first half at 94-93 with 3:01 left.

Two free throws from Harris put the Minutemen ahead to stay, 96-95, at the 2:24 mark, but it was Forbes's 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down two possessions later that buried Syracuse.

"Once [the ball] left my hands, I knew it was going in," said Forbes.

"Not to take anything away from what Syracuse did, but I thought Gary Forbes was the best player on the court," Ford said. "This was the best game he's ever played at UMass."

Point guard Chris Lowe returned to the UMass lineup after missing two of four games with an ankle injury. He scored 13 points in 35 minutes.

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, 13th all-time in wins with 754 in 31-plus seasons, only has losing records against five schools he has faced two or more times: UMass (0-3), Illinois (1-2), Kentucky (3-5), North Carolina (1-3), and Oklahoma State (1-3).

He conceded that his team, which has struggled defensively, could not stop UMass's furious attack.

"We just cannot defend people," Boeheim said.