NEW YORK — After watching Otto Porter score 43 points in two games during the regular season, Syracuse made sure he wasn’t a factor the third time around.

The Orange’s defense shut down Porter in the Big East tournament semifinals on Thursday, holding Porter to 12 points on only 4-of-13 shooting in his 45 minutes on the floor. He only took two shots from behind the arc. Keeping Porter from doing much damage was key for Syracuse in its 58-55 overtime win over the Hoyas on Thursday.

Porter spent much of the game in the high post, but rarely had an opportunity to score with the amount of attention Syracuse was paying him.

“We cheated up on Porter a little bit more,” Orange head coach Jim Boeheim said. “We left (Mikael) Hopkins alone, and he did get some work done down there, but not as much as Porter and (Markel) Starks would get.”

Syracuse’s focus on Porter in the high post came at a price, as Hopkins and Starks had some good looks and were able to combine for 25 points.

Porter started off hot, though, knocking down a jumper in transition from the lane about two minutes into the game to give Georgetown a 2-0 lead. But he wouldn’t have another field goal for more than eight minutes, when he made a layup to give Georgetown a 15-12 lead.

He managed to come up with some big buckets late in the game, including a jumper from the lane that brought Georgetown to within five, that helped put the Hoyas in prime position to finish off its comeback and tie the game.

Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said he knew Boeheim and Syracuse would defend the Hoyas – and Porter – differently.

“You say the Syracuse 2-3 zone, but he adjusts, tweaks, even from the first game to the second game, they played us differently,” Thompson said. “So we anticipated they were going to play us a little bit differently, but that’s why everything was open along the baseline.”

Syracuse made sure Porter was rarely – if ever – open.

Porter hit two free throws in overtime that made it 57-55 Syracuse with 39 seconds left in overtime, but it was too late for him and Georgetown. The Orange ended up moving on to the finals.

After the game, Boeheim said Porter’s the best player that he’s seen in the Big East — high praise coming from someone who’s coached for the conference’s entire existence.

But Porter’s versatility makes him an unmatched player in Boeheim’s eyes.

“I think he’s a great defensive player,” Boeheim said. “I think he’s a great passer. I think he can obviously shoot the ball, and he just, really, I don’t see a weakness in his game from a perimeter point of view of a guy that I’ve seen in this league over the years.”

Despite the fact that Boeheim’s defense shut him down, Porter said he appreciated Boeheim’s compliment.

“It means a lot coming from him,” Porter said. “It’s tough playing against him and his team.”

Published on March 16, 2013 at 12:41 am

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman