Orangewomen Back in Action at Vermont
12/17/2002 3:05:26 PM | Women's Basketball
The Syracuse women's basketball team will play at the University of Vermont on Wednesday, December 18 at 7 p.m. The Orangewomen have been idle since a 67-66 loss to #24/21 George Washington on December 7. The 11-day respite for final exams is the Orangewomen’s longest inactive streak of the season.
Syracuse nearly pulled off the upset versus the Colonials, losing by one at home last time out. The junior tandem of Julie McBride and Shannon Perry combined for 41 of SU’s 66 points. McBride led all scorers with 23 points, while Perry notched her sixth double-double in seven games with 18 points and 16 boards. Twelve of her rebounds were on the defensive end, a career-best total. Perry was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on December 9 for her efforts. Sophomore Rochelle Coleman was the only other SU player in double figures with 11. Lindsey Davidson sparked the Colonials with 20 points, including six three-pointers. Her triple with 52 seconds remaining was the game-winning basket.
The Orangewomen have had a balanced offensive attack thus far this season with four players averaging in double figures. McBride is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 16.7 points per contest. Perry is averaging a double-double of 16.4 points and a BIG EAST-best 12.3 rebounds per game. She is also averaging more than two assists and two steals per outing. Coleman is third on the squad at 10.7 points per game, while junior April Jean is hitting for 10.1 points per contest. Freshman Tierra Jackson is averaging 7.7 points and 6.0 rebounds off the bench.
The Catamounts enter Wednesday’s game with a 7-1 record. Vermont has won three straight, including a 67-61 victory at Canisius on Sunday. UVM’s only loss came on December 4 at Massachusetts, 53-48. The Catamounts are 1-0 this season versus BIG EAST teams, defeating Providence, 65-49, in the second game of the season.
Junior Aaron Yantzi leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game. She has led the Catamounts in scoring five times this season, including a season-high 31 points at Central Connecticut State on November 26. Yantzi is second on the team in rebounding, grabbing 6.8 boards per contest. Senior Morgan Hall is the only other Catamount averaging in double figures. The 6-1 guard is scoring 15.1 points per game and leads the team with a 7.4 rebounding average. Hall has been UVM’s top scorer and rebounder in each of the last two games (19 pts., 9 rebs. vs. Canisius). Senior guard Dawn Cressman has been the Catamounts’ top three-point threat so far in 2002-03. Cressman is 13-for-31 (41.9 percent) from behind the arc, accounting for more than one-third of the team’s total three-pointers (35). She is averaging 8.5 points per game. As a team, Vermont is hitting 35.7 percent of its long-distance attempts (35-98). Junior Theresa LaRocque and sophomore Lani Boardman are scoring 7.8 and 7.3 points per game, respectively.
The all-time series between the Orangewomen and Catamounts is tied at 3-3. Syracuse won last year’s meeting, 81-66, at Manley Field House. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to UVM. Syracuse is 2-1 all-time in Burlington. The last time SU visited Patrick Gymnasium, the Catamounts came away with a 73-60 victory.
