Riley Hits Game-Winner in SU's Second Straight Victory

Sunday, November 20

Buffalo, N.Y.

2:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Buffalo

Sophomore Mary Joe Riley hit the game-winner for the Orange in its victory at Buffalo.

Riley Hits Game-Winner in SU's Second Straight Victory

11/20/2005 5:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Sophomore Mary Joe Riley (Inkster, Mich.) hit the game-winning basket with 26 seconds left to play to lift the Orange (2-0) to a 64-63 win against Buffalo (0-2) on Sunday, Nov. 20 at Alumni Arena. It is third straight year SU has started the season 2-0.

Trailing by one, 63-62, the SU defense forced a turnover by the Bulls’ Rachelle Matthys with 36 seconds to go. After an SU timeout, the Orange worked the ball around the perimeter until Riley found a driving lane. She took the ball to the hoop and converted the layup with 26 seconds left on the clock. Buffalo had one last chance to win the game, but Stephanie Bennett’s jumper with five seconds to play was long and the rebound went out of bounds to SU.

Sophomore center Vaida Sipaviciute (Kaunas, Lithuania) led the Orange with a career performance, scoring 23 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, both personal bests. It was the second double-double of her career. She was 10-of-17 from the field and also tallied five blocked shots in 40 minutes of action. Sipaviciute has 72 career blocks, one shy of tying Paula Moore for seventh on SU’s all-time list.

Junior Tracy Harbut (Lexington, Ky.) notched her second straight double-double, matching her career high with 13 points and grabbing 10 boards. Harbut played a terrific all-around game, adding four assists, two blocks, and a steal.

Junior Ashley McMillen (Penfield, N.Y.) chipped in nine points on three three-pointers.

The Orange trailed by as many as eight points in first half, 15-7, with 15:14 to play in the opening stanza. Down by six, 19-13, the Orange went on a 11-2 scoring run, punctuated by Jenny Eckhart, who scored five straight points to give SU its first lead, 24-21, at 8:51.

Buffalo reclaimed the lead on a pair of free throws by Dortae Freeman with 3:47 left in the half and the Bulls owned a 36-33 margin at the half.

Buffalo held a 52-48 lead midway through the second half, but SU tallied the game’s next seven points to claim a 55-52 advantage with 6:22 to go. The Orange increased their lead to six on a jumper by Sipaviciute, and after a hoop by Flynn Pyykkonen, sophomore Amanda Adamson (Littleton, Colo.) pushed the SU margin back to six, 62-56, on her first bucket of the year. The Bulls registered seven points in the next 2:14 to set the stage for SU’s game-winning final push.

Heather Turner led the way for the Bulls with a game-high 22 points, 17 of which came in the first half. Turner also had nine rebounds. Jaime Schiebner posted a double-double for Buffalo with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds and Brooke Meunier added 10 points.

Syracuse will try and run its record to 3-0 on Wednesday, Nov. 23 when it plays at Niagara. Tip time is 7:00 p.m.