SYRACUSE - What started as a birthday party for Jonny Flynn turned into a block party for the Connecticut Huskies.

Hasheem Thabeet, the Huskies' 7'3” monster in the middle, blocked five second-half shots, including three in a four-minute stretch, to agitate the Syracuse offense and help give 19th-ranked UConn a 63-61 victory at the Carrier Dome Wednesday.

The Huskies' eight blocks were only two more than the Orange's six, but just the presence of Thabeet and 6-7 brute Jeff Adrien forced Syracuse to play cautious around the hoop.

#&There was a stretch in the second half where we had our shot blocked on four possessions in a row,“ said Flynn, who scored 20 points on his 19th birthday. ”They had us hesitating going to the rim. Once that happens, the game's over.“

Coming into the game, UConn was averaging 8.7 blocks per game, tops in the nation. It's the sixth straight season the Huskies have led the country in that category.

Syracuse (16-8 overall, 6-5 in Big East) knew what it was up against inside, but head coach Jim Boeheim said his team didn't adjust well.

“We didn't do a good job of attacking,” he said. “The shot-blockers are going to do what they do. That doesn't mean you can stop attacking.”

While the Huskies' shot-blocking presence didn't seem to have much of an effect on Flynn and fellow Niagara Falls native, Paul Harris, who combined to score 44 points, Flynn admits that Thabeet got into the heads of some of his teammates.

“Thabeet's a heck of a shot-blocker but it's not just that,” the freshman said. “He altered every shot in the lane. You go to the rim and you're looking over your shoulder to see where he's at. It kind of messes with your mind.”

Harris was about the only Orange player successful at attacking the seven-footer all game. He led SU in scoring for the second straight game, racking up 24 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and four assists in a 39-minute effort.

Though his shot was blocked on more than one occasion, the chiseled sophomore went right after Thabeet and Adrien on numerous drives and was able to finish strong around the rim.

“I respect (Thabeet) as a player but you've got to go after him,” Harris said.

When asked if Thabeet got in his head, Harris didn't hesitate.

“Not in mine,” he said. He might have gotten in somebody's, but not in mine.

Aside from his buddy Flynn, Harris didn't get much help at the offensive end.

SU's leading scorer Donte Greene was just 2-for-15 from the floor and 6-8 center Arinze Onuaku's last bucket of the game came at the 14:24 mark in the first half.

Spent from the physicality of the game, Harris was clearly demoralized by the energy of his team.

“We have to have better effort, we have to,” he said. “We're shorthanded as is.

“Arinze doesn't realize how much he means to us. He means so much. We've got to have his 20 points and 10 rebounds. Everybody's got to come to play in these games.”

Onuaku finished with six points and six rebounds and Greene scored just eight, his lowest point total of his young career.

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim was disappointed with his team's performance on offense, and especially confused by the nonchalant attitude of Onuaku who failed to challenge the Huskies' bigs.

“Arinze didn't go hard to the basket all game,” Boeheim said. “They're a good shot-blocking team - the best in the country - but we've got to attack (the hoop) better.

“Arinze just didn't come to play tonight.”

Despite having a short bench, the Orange have won three of four and have played lost by two points to two nationally ranked teams in the last 2.5 weeks.

At times, they're playing better. But the Orange still have a long way to go, especially in the brutal Big East.

“This is a hard one to swallow,” Harris said. “But you just have to put it in the past. It's not easy. We just can't continue to let teams outplay us.”