Orangewomen Host Hurricanes on Wednesday
1/7/2003 4:48:45 PM | Women's Basketball
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse women's basketball team will play its first home BIG EAST game of the season, hosting the Miami Hurricanes at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8. The Orangewomen are 5-7 overall and 0-1 in the BIG EAST, while the Hurricanes are 9-3 overall and 1-0 in league play.
Junior guard Julie McBride scored a career-high 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting in SU's 73-63 loss at Virginia Tech. McBride scored 14 points on 6-of-8 from the field in the first half and hit for 15 points in the second stanza. She also added seven assists, a season-high six rebounds and three steals. Freshman Tierra Jackson had her fifth double-digit game of the season, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Sophomore Rochelle Coleman tallied her career-best sixth consecutive double-digit game with 12 points. She also grabbed a career-high six boards. The Orangewomen defense limited the Hokies to 35.7 percent shooting, but Virginia Tech was able to score 22 second-chance points.
McBride has had consecutive 20-point games for just the second time in her career. She hit for 23 points in SU’s win versus Cornell. Last season she had 22 and 21 versus Seton Hall and St. Bonaventure, respectively. McBride has been hot from the field of late, connecting on 18 of her last 33 shots (.545), including 7-of-15 from three-point range (.467). For the season, she is averaging 17.0 points and 6.8 assists per game. Coleman is the Orangewomen’s third leading scorer. She has hit for double figures in six straight games and is averaging 13.7 points per contest.
Miami is 9-3 and 1-0 after a 60-57 win at Georgetown last Saturday. It was the Hurricanes’ first road victory of the season (1-3). They are 7-0 at home and 1-0 on neutral floors. Since a three-game losing streak dropped its record to 3-3, Miami has won six straight games.
Four-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week Tamara James had 24 points and 10 rebounds versus the Hoyas. Melissa Knight and Yalonda McCormick each scored in double figures with 13 and 10, respectively. The Hurricane defense forced 23 turnovers, including 15 steals.
James has paced the team in scoring in 11 of the first 12 contests. She leads the BIG EAST in scoring at 24.2 points per game. James already has five games of more than 25 points, including two 30-plus point efforts. She is also the team’s leading rebounder, pulling down 9.5 boards per game. James is shooting 60 percent from the field (111-185). Shaquana Wilkins is the only other player averaging in double figures for Miami. Wilkins is scoring 10.1 points per game in just under 21 minutes per contest. Reigning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Meghan Saake averages 9.9 points and a BIG EAST-best 4.3 steals per game. McCormick is one of four players in the league to be averaging at least 6.0 assists a game.
The Hurricanes lead the all-time series with Syracuse, 14-5, including a 13-4 mark during BIG EAST play. Miami has won four of the last five meetings, including a 75-71 overtime win in Coral Gables last season. Syracuse’s last victory in the series was a 62-61 win at Manley Field House during the 2000-01 season. The last three games, and four of the last five, in the series have been decided by four points or less. Miami is 4-4 all-time at Manley Field House, but has lost its last two games in Syracuse.
