Syracuse University
at West Virginia
WVU Snaps Syracuse Three-Point Streak, Defeats Orange, 56-36
2/7/2004 9:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The Orangewomen basketball team lost its sixth consecutive game, 56-36, at West Virginia on Saturday, February 7. Syracuse is now 6-14 overall and 3-7 in the BIG EAST. The Mountaineers have won a league-best eight straight games, including seven conference games, and are 17-5 overall and 8-2 in the BIG EAST.
"It was a great defensive effort," head coach Keith Cieplicki said. "We just didn't shoot the ball well. We tried to play a lot of people to get some people some rest and help out legs. We just didn't put the ball in the basket."
Syracuse did not make a three-pointer for the first time in 171 games, since the Orange went 0-9 at Rutgers on January 3, 1998. All nine Orangewomen played and eight got on the scoreboard. Freshman Lauren Kohn led SU with nine points and seven rebounds. Junior Krystalyn Ellerbe scored a career-high eight points and added three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Junior Chineze Nwagbo finished with five points and six boards. In her first game since December 20, freshman Tracy Harbut scored a career-high four points and grabbed four rebounds.
Sherell Sowho led WVU with 13 points. Yolanda Paige had 12 points and Michelle Carter scored 10. SU held Kate Bulger, who came into the game ranked 11th in the league in scoring, to just seven points, 7.6 points below her average.
The teams were tied, 8-8, with 13:03 left in the first half. The Mountaineers went on a 13-4 run over the next 7:44 to take their largest lead of the half, 21-12. Syracuse came back to cut WVU's edge to six, 25-19, at halftime.
The Mountaineers scored the first six points of the second half to go up 31-19. SU turned the ball over on four of its first five possessions of the session. However, the Orangewomen were able to cut WVU's lead to seven, 35-28, with 13:26 on the clock. That was the closest they would get as the Mountaineers went on a 21-6 run over the next 11 minutes to take a 56-34 lead. Syracuse made just one field goal in the final 8:56 as West Virginia sealed its 56-36 victory.
The Orangewomen made 16-of-51 field goal attempts (31.4 percent), including 7-of-25 second-half attempts (28 percent). SU's defense held West Virginia to 14 points below the team's average of 69.5 points per game.
Syracuse hosts the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 7:00 p.m. in Manley Field House.
