Orange Extends Win Streak to Five with 80-60 Win

Thursday, December 2

Manley Field House

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Binghamton

Chineze Nwagbo had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists against the Bearcats.

Orange Extends Win Streak to Five with 80-60 Win

12/2/2004 9:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball

SYRACUSE N.Y. – Sophomore guard Lauren Kohn had a career-high 20 points and senior forward Chineze Nwagbo tied her career best with 18 points to lead the Syracuse women's basketball team to an 80-60 victory against Binghamton on Thursday evening at Manley Field House. The Orange is now 5-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 squad started the season with seven straight victories. Binghamton is 1-3 this season.

Nwagbo dished out a personal-high six assists to go with her seven boards. Nwagbo has scored in double digits in all five of SU's games this season. Kohn also pulled down a career-best nine rebounds and went 6-of-7 from three-point range, tying her personal-best from deep. Freshman Sara Antolick chipped in 10 points and six boards. Senior Rochelle Coleman tallied eight points, three assists and two rebounds. Senior Krystalyn Ellerbe finished with six points on 3-of-3 shooting in 13 minutes of action. Freshman Mary Joe Riley collected her first collegiate points on a 17-foot jumper with 4:35 left in the game, she finished with three points.

Rebecka Lindgren led the Bearcats with 18 points, including four three-pointers. Laura Sario had 12 points, while Jen Haubrich paced Binghamton with six boards.

Therese Deemand hit a three-pointer to start the game and give the Bearcats a 3-0 lead. Syracuse came back hitting the next two baskets, one by Antolick and one by sophomore Tracy Harbut, to take a 4-3 lead. SU did not trail again. Binghamton managed to tie the score on two occasions in the first half, but could not regain a lead. With the score tied at 17-17, the Orange took a 23-17 lead off back-to-back threes by Kohn and Coleman. Coleman tallied all eight of her points in the first half. SU kept the lead and went into halftime with a 33-27 advantage.

The Orange took control in the second half with a 28-12 run in the first 11 minutes to open a 61-39 lead. Nwagbo tallied 12 points during the run and 16 in the final 20 minutes. Kohn scored eight during the span and finished the second stanza with 14 points including a 4-of-4 effort from behind the arc. Syracuse led by as many as 25 on two occasions, at the 6:15 mark and with 5:47 left in the game. Ellerbe contributed all six of her points in the final frame.

The Orange outrebounded the Bearcats 41-34. SU shot 56.1% from the field, including 73.1% in the second half. Syracuse scored 34 points in the paint and held a 14-7 advantage in second-chance points. Eleven of SU's 12 players scored in the contest. The 80-point outburst was SU's best offensive game since defeating Notre Dame, 84-79, in the quarterfinals of the 2002 BIG EAST Tournament.

Syracuse will go for win number six at Massachusetts on Saturday, December 4. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. A win would match SU's victory total from all of last season.