NEW YORK – For the second straight day at the Big East tournament, Gerry McNamara hit a late three-pointer to help his team to victory. And for the second straight day, Georgetown squeaked by its opponent, this time earning a 62-59 win over fourth-seeded Marquette.

After being tied at 22 at halftime, the Hoyas held the lead through most of the second half but had to fight off a late rally by the Golden Eagles. In the final minute, senior Brandon Bowman was perfect from the free-throw line, dropping 6-of-6 from the charity stripe and guiding Georgetown to its first Big East semifinal appearance since 2000.

Bowman had 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks after his season-high 25-point outing yesterday against Notre Dame.

“I thought he was very good again today,” Head Coach John Thompson III said. “Brandon did all things in the game that helped us win.”

The Hoyas had trouble getting started offensively, unable to find a way to penetrate Marquette’s zone defense in the first half. Georgetown had turnovers on its first four possessions and fell into a 6-0 hole.

The Golden Eagles led by as many as 11, taking a 20-9 lead midway through the period as senior forward Steve Novak hit a three over sophomore Jeff Green. Novak hit 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Georgetown spent the rest of the first period chipping away at arquette’s lead. Sophomore Tyler Crawford, making a rare appearance, got the team’s first back-door cut of the afternoon with one minute to play before intermission to cut the Eagles’ lead to one, 22-21. Green then sank a one of two free throws to tie the match.

Green and senior Ashanti Cook paced Georgetown with 16 points each. Both players added 11 points in the second half, while Bowman earned 12 of his 14 points in the latter 20 minutes.

Green chipped in nine rebounds and four assists.

“We stretched the zone today,” Bowman said. “We let Jeff work the inside, and he got some good posts, some and-ones. After that it was pretty much what we do: back door cuts, hit threes.”

Marquette would not go away, however, keeping within two possessions until Bowman dunked a pass from Cook to give the Hoyas a 55-48 edge with 51 seconds left.

“We kept trying to come back,” Marquette Head Coach Tom Crean said. “It wasn’t our best day for guarding back-cuts, guarding penetration. Everything we got, they made us earn it.”

Georgetown’s victory sets up the team’s 76th all-time meeting with Syracuse, and 12th meeting in the Big East tournament. The Hoyas hold a 6-5 advantage over the Orange in conference tournament history. Syracuse beat Georgetown, 74-69, in the quarterfinals in 2003.

In their first meeting with the Orange on Feb. 25, the Hoyas were driven by the thought of getting their first win in four seasons over their archrival. After Syracuse’s 86-84 upset of No. 1 Connecticut, though, it seems like the Orange have the momentum going into Friday night.

In the early game on Thursday afternoon, McNamara sank a long three-pointer to tie the game at 74 with five seconds to play. The Huskies missed a quick shot at the other end and the game advanced to an extra period.

“I told [McNamara] to throw it to one of three guys,” Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim said of his team’s final possession in regulation. “He looked at me and said, `Can I shoot it?’ I said, `They’re not going to let you shoot it. But if they do, shoot it.’ As soon as he released it, there was never a doubt that ball was nothing but net.”

The Orange pulled ahead by four in overtime, but the Huskies still had a chance to tie or win on their final possession. Junior arcus Williams missed a jumper in the closing seconds, and the upset went into the books.

However unlikely it had seemed 48 hours ago, it will be the Hoyas and the Orange facing off for a spot in the 2006 Big East championship game.

“It’s Georgetown-Syracuse at the Garden,” Thompson said. “We’ll see what happens when we throw it up tomorrow.”

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on ESPN.