Orangewomen Face 22nd-Ranked Villanova
2/8/2003 11:57:26 AM | Women's Basketball
Listen to the Game!
Live Stats!
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Orangewomen basketball team will play its second straight top-25 team when they host 22nd-ranked Villanova at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 8. SU lost its last game, 82-63, to ARV/#25 Boston College last Saturday. The Orangewomen are 1-4 this season versus ranked opponents, defeating the Eagles on January 18.
Syracuse is 8-12 overall and 3-6 in the BIG EAST.
Junior forward April Jean had her best scoring game in nearly a month (23 vs. Miami) with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting versus Boston College. Junior guard Julie McBride had 11 points and dished out eight assists. McBride moved into sixth place on SU’s career assist ledger (416). Freshman Tierra Jackson had eight points and five rebounds off the bench for the Orangewomen. Sophomore Krystalyn Ellerbe hit for a career-high eight points, connecting on 4-of-5 field goals.
Junior Shannon Perry leads the team in both scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.3 ppg). She is one of only two players in the BIG EAST to be averaging a double-double (Rebekkah Brunson - Georgetown). Perry is only the second SU player ever to score at least 300 points in their first three seasons. McBride is next at 16.0 points per game and a team-high 6.7 assists per contest, the best season average in school history. Sophomore Rochelle Coleman is averaging 13.5 points per game and ranks 10th on the SU single-season list with 46 three-pointers. Jean is scoring 9.8 points per contest and is the Orangewomen’s second-leading rebounder at 7.4 boards per game.
Villanova is ranked 22nd in the nation in both the AP and coaches polls. The Wildcats are 16-4 overall and 6-3 in BIG EAST play. Villanova defeated Boston College, 75-61, in their last game on Wednesday.
The backcourt of Katie Davis and Trish Juhline combined for 32 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and three steals versus the Eagles. Forward Courtney Mix had 15 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals in the win. Eight Villanova players saw more than 10 minutes of court time.
Juhline and Davis lead the team in scoring, averaging 17.2 and 15.4 points per game, respectively. Mix is third on the squad at 9.2 points per contest, and leads the team with a 7.1 rebounding average. The Wildcats rely heavily on the three-point shot. Forty-four percent of Villanova’s shot attempts have been three-pointers. Juhline, Davis and Nicole Druckenmiller have all made for than 30 three-pointers so far this season. Davis leads the way with 55. Nine of the Wildcats’ 13 players have made at least one triple this season. As a team, Villanova is second in the nation in three-pointers made per game (8.8).
Villanova leads the all-time series with the Orangewomen, 31-11, including a 26-9 advantage in BIG EAST regular-season play. SU split its two games with the Wildcats last season with each team winning on its home floor. The Orangewomen have won the last three meetings at Manley Field House.
