Orangewomen Try to Clinch BIG EAST Berth
2/25/2003 2:32:35 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - The Orangewomen will try and earn a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament when they travel to West Virginia University on Wednesday, February 26. Tip-off at the WVU Coliseum is at 7 p.m.
Syracuse stands at 9-15 overall and 4-9 in the BIG EAST after a 66-58 win versus Providence on Wednesday, February 19. It was the Orangewomen’s first home conference win of the season. The Mountaineers are 14-10 overall and 3-10 in the conference.
Junior guard Shannon Perry was named BIG EAST Co-Player of the Week for her efforts versus the Friars. Perry recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. She shot 8-of-13 from the floor and sparked a 14-4 second half spurt that broke open a tie game. Perry hit for eight points during the run. Junior guard Julie McBride scored 16 points and handed out six assists,. Junior forward April Jean and sophomore guard Rochelle Coleman also went for double figures, scoring 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Perry is the Orangewomen’s leading scorer and rebounder at 16.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest. She needs just two points to become the newest member of the Syracuse 1,000-point club. McBride is next on the scoring ledger with 15.8 points per game. She paces SU with 150 assists. McBride is 20 points away from becoming the first player in Syracuse history to score 400-or-more points in consecutive seasons. Coleman is third on the Orangewomen’s scoring ledger, contributing 13.3 points per contest. She has 55 three-pointers this season and 62 for her career, ranking in the SU all-time top 10 for both career and single-season triples made. Jean is scoring 9.6 points overall and 10.4 points in conference play.
West Virginia is playing for its postseason hopes as the Mountaineers currently occupy the 12th spot in the BIG EAST standings. WVU is one-half game ahead of Providence, which stands at 3-11, for the final tournament position. The Mountaineers and Friars split their two games this season. West Virginia has Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Connecticut left on the docket, while the Friars play Connecticut and Villanova.
The Mountaineers won their last game, 68-59, versus St. John’s. Kate Bulger led the team with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, including four three-pointers. Earth White hit for 15 points and tied for team honors with eight rebounds. Janell Dunlap and Michelle Carter scored 13 and 11, respectively. West Virginia outrebounded the Red Storm, 46-29.
Bulger, a 2002 second-team All-BIG EAST pick, leads the team in scoring at 14.7 points pr game. She has tallied more than half her points behind the three-point line, knocking down 60 triples. Bulger leads the BIG EAST with a 47.2 three-point percentage. Second-leading scorer Sherell Sowho (12.3 points per game) was suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules and did not play in the St. John’s game. Sowho had started the first 23 games for WVU. Carter is the Mountaineers third-leading scorer at 10.6 points per game. Point guard Yolanda Paige leads the BIG EAST with 7.0 assists per game.
The Orangewomen lead the all-time series with the Mountaineers, 7-4, including a 5-4 mark in BIG EAST regular-season play. SU won both meetings last season. The Orangewomen defeated WVU, 74-46, at Manley Field House in the regular season and then beat the Mountaineers, 80-60, in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. SU has had good luck in the WVU Coliseum, winning three of its four games in the facility.
