Parker zoomed down the court early in the second half, stepped past Ennis and rose up for a layup.

The electrifying Duke freshman forward seemed poised for one of his signature slams.

But Syracuse center Rakeem Christmas, who trailed on the play, had the dunk sized up and elevated to swat the attempt out of bounds.

“I think Rakeem was tremendous,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “I think he’s getting better all the time. I think he’s become a great factor.”

For all the flak that Christmas has gotten this season, he played as well as anyone given his role on Saturday. The junior center finished with seven points, a season-high 10 rebounds and a career-high six blocks as Syracuse edged No. 17 Duke 91-89, in an overtime thriller.

Christmas denied Parker four times, and got two fingers on a Rodney Hood dunk attempt that would have given Duke a one-point lead with 13 seconds left in overtime.

“It was a great atmosphere,” Christmas said. “A lot of fans were here to support us. It was one of the greatest games I played in myself. It was a great game and I am glad we won.”

Christmas helped limit Parker to 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, and drew his fifth foul on a charge call with 1:42 left. Parker posted Christmas up on the right block and was whistled for swinging his left elbow.

The call was questionable, but its effect on the game was enormous.

“There were a lot of plays in general that could have gone both ways,” Parker said.

Christmas also drew Jefferson’s final foul with 31 seconds to play when Jefferson held back Christmas’ right arm in an attempt to prevent him from setting a screen.

For Syracuse, with sophomore center DaJuan Coleman out for the season after undergoing knee surgery Tuesday, Christmas’ excellent defensive performance is an encouraging sign.

With a tough conference slate highlighted by road games against Duke and No. 18 Pitt, the Orange will need more strong play from him.

Published on February 2, 2014 at 3:34 pm

Contact Stephen: sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1