Orangewomen to Take on St. Bonaventure
12/4/2002 4:29:33 PM | Women's Basketball
The Syracuse women's basketball team will try and build off its 77-56 win at San Francisco last Sunday when it travels to St. Bonaventure on Thursday, December 5. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
The Orangewomen split a pair of games in California, losing at Cal-Berkeley, 57-53, and defeating USF. Syracuse is now 1-4 on the season, avoiding the first 0-5 start since the 1973-74 campaign.
Junior Shannon Perry recorded double-doubles in both games, averaging 17.5 points and 14.0 rebounds on the trip. Junior Julie McBride tied a career high with 10 assists at California and led the Orangewomen with 20 points, including four three-pointers, at USF. Junior April Jean was productive in her home state, notching her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Cal. She also matched her season-high scoring total with 15 points at USF.
Five players scored in double figures versus the Lady Dons. Sophomore Rochelle Coleman had 11 of her 13 points in the second half, and freshman Tierra Jackson added 11 points off the bench in the victory. Senior Awa Diop saw her first action of the season, grabbing two rebounds and making one steal in two minutes of work at San Francisco.
Perry has four double-doubles in SU’s first five games. She leads the team with a 16.4 points per game scoring average and an 11.2 rebounding average. McBride is second, scoring 15.8 points per game. She leads the team with 7.8 assists per contest. Coleman and Jean are both scoring in double figures, each averging 11.6 points per contest. Jackson has been the Orangewomen’s top reserve, averaging 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per game.
The Bonnies are 3-2. St. Bonaventure began the season 3-0, the program’s second-best start ever, with wins versus Bucknell, Kent State and St. Francis. The Bison and the Golden Flashes each went to the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Both St. Bonaventure and Syracuse are playing their first game since a trip to the West Coast. The Bonnies played at the Univeristy of Washington in the Seattle Times Husky Classic. They lost to the host Huskies, 105-48, in the first game of the tournament, and to Pacific, 61-42, in the consolation game.
Junior center Eva Kadlecova leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.2 points per game. She is the only St. Bonaventure player averaging in double figures. Sophomore guard Lyndsey Maurer is scoing 9.6 points and leads the team with 3.4 assists per game. St. Bonaventure has a balanced offense with seven players averaging five or more points per game. Senior Courtney Mattingly (9.0), junior Emma Haywood (8.4) and sophomore Tory Vyborny (8.2) are all scoring 8.0 or more points per contest.
Syracuse leads the all-time series with the Bonnies, 3-2. The Orangewomen won last year’s meeting at Manley Field House, 74-37. It was the fewest points allowed by Syracuse last season. Last year’s game was the first time since 1997-98 that the two teams played each other. They met ever season from 1994-95 through ‘97-98. The Orangewomen are 1-1 all-time at St. Bonaventure. SU is 2-1 versus the Bonnies in Manley Field House. The last time the two teams played in Olean, the Bonnies took a 71-66 decision (12/29/97).
The Orangewomen return home to take on #24/21 George Washington on Saturday, December 7. Tip-off at Manley Field House is set for 2 p.m.
