Syracuse University
at Rutgers
Orangewomen Lose at Rutgers, 61-45
2/3/2004 9:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Syracuse women's basketball team lost to Rutgers, 61-45, on Tuesday, February 3, at the RAC. The Orangewomen are 6-13 overall and 3-6 in the BIG EAST. Rutgers holds a 13-7 overall record and a 5-3 league mark.
Senior Julie McBride set the career free-throws made record, hitting 5-of-6 in the game and giving her 321 in her career. She passed former Orangewoman Shannon Perry, who now sits in second place with 319 made free-throws. McBride finished with eight points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Junior Rochelle Coleman recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Freshman Lauren Kohn scored 11 points, and junior Sarah Wegrzynowicz scored seven. Junior Krystalyn Ellerbe scored four points off the bench, connecting on both of her field goal attempts. It marked her best game since she scored seven points against Montana on November 28. Sophomore Jill Norton recorded two points, two rebounds and one assist in 11 minutes off the bench.
Rutgers junior Chelsea Newton, who did not play against Syracuse in the teams' first meeting of the season, scored a game-high 21 points. Junior Cappie Pondexter recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 points, seven below her season average of 17.6 points per game.
The teams were tied, 2-2, early in the game before the Scarlet Knights went on a 10-0 run to take a 12-2 advantage with 12:42 left in the first half. Rutgers led, 15-6, with 10:06 on the clock when Syracuse went on an 11-3 tear over the next 4:42 to pull within one point, 18-17. SU trailed by one again at 21-20 before finishing the first half down by two, 24-22.
Rutgers held a 32-28 lead with 12:58 remaining in the game. The Scarlet Knights went on an 11-4 run to open up a 43-32 advantage with 9:12 on the clock. Syracuse managed to pull within eight points two more times down the stretch. The Orange trailed, 43-35, after Coleman completed a three-point play with 9:12 to play. At the 7:25 mark, Rutgers had a 12-point advantage, 49-37, but SU cut it to eight, 53-45, capped by a three-pointer by Kohn with 4:00 left to play. The Scarlet Knights scored the final eight points of the game, including four points from the foul line by Newton, to earn the 61-45 victory.
"We got down early but were able to fight back," head coach Keith Cieplicki said. "We were real active defensively which helped us stay in it. They got physical with us late on the boards which was the difference in the game."
Rutgers outrebounded Syracuse, 17-6, on the offensive glass. That resulted in 21 second-chance points for the Scarlet Knights compared to four for the Orangewomen. SU also committed a season-high 19 turnovers. Syracuse made 5-of-20 of its attempts from three-point range.
The Orangewomen play at West Virginia on Saturday, February 7, at 7:00 p.m.
