Orangewomen Try for Third Straight Win
1/31/2003 6:13:56 PM | Women's Basketball
Listen to the Game!
Live Stats!
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse women's basketball team will try for its second win versus Boston College this season when it hosts the Eagles at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 1. The Orangewomen defeated the Eagles, 76-71, on January 18 at the Conte Forum. It is BC’s only conference loss of the season and its only blemish in the last nine games.
The Orangewomen (8-11, 3-5) are coming off their largest win of the season, a 75-46 victory at St. John’s. Sophomore Rochelle Coleman scored a career-high 27 points and knocked down seven three-pointers, one shy of the SU single-game record. Junior Shannon Perry had 21 points and six rebounds, while Julie McBride tied career bests with 10 assists and zero turnovers. Junior April Jean snagged a game-high 14 rebounds, and freshman Tierra Jackson hit for 10 points off the bench. The Orangewomen outscored the Red Storm, 45-19, in the second half to blow open what was a 30-27 game at halftime.
Perry is one of three players in the BIG EAST to be ranked in the league’s top five in both scoring (17.5 ppg - 5th) and rebounding (10.8 rpg - 2nd). McBride is the Orangewomen’s second-leading scorer at 16.2 points per game. She leads SU, dishing out 6.6 assists per game. Coleman is the third Orangewoman in double figures, scoring 13.8 points per contest. Jean is averaging 10.3 points per game in conference play and 9.4 points overall. She is the Orangewomen’s second-leading rebounder at 7.4 boards per contest. Jackson is SU’s biggest threat off the bench at 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds a game.
Syracuse has won two straight games for the second time this season. The Orangewomen are trying to win three in a row for the first time in 2002-03.
Boston College (14-4, 6-1) enters Saturday’s game ranked 25th in the coaches poll and receiving votes in the AP poll. The Eagles have won three straight games since losing to Syracuse, including a 76-48 win versus 24th-ranked Notre Dame on Wednesday.
The Eagles boast three players in double figures led by Jessalyn Deveny’s 18.2 points per game. Becky Gottstein is averaging 13.9 points per game and is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.3 boards per contest. She is averaging a double-double of 14.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in BIG EAST play. Amber Jacobs is the Eagles’ third player in double figures at 11.9 points per game. She is the Eagles’ biggest threat from three-point range with 29 (37.2 percent). Brianne Stepherson leads the team with 92 assists (5.1 per game).
Syracuse leads the all-time series, 20-19. SU leads the BIG E AST regular-season series, 19-16, but the Eagles own a 3-1 advantage in the conference tournament. In 17 games played at Manley Field House, the Orangewomen have a 13-4 lead. Syracuse has won three of the last four played at Manley, including a 66-48 win on January 24, 2001.
