Orange Defeats Bishop's, 70-53, In Exhibition Action

Saturday, November 5

Manley Field House

1:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Bishops University (exhibition)

Vaida Sipaviciute scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards against Bishop's.

Orange Defeats Bishop's, 70-53, In Exhibition Action

11/5/2005 4:13:52 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score
Coach Cieplicki Quotes
Syracuse Player Quotes

SYRACUSE, N.Y – Sophomore center Vaida Sipaviciute (Kauna, Lithuania) recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five blocks to lead SU to a 70-53 victory against Bishop’s University on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Manley Field House. Freshman Lina Lisnere (Riga, Latvia) and redshirt freshman Sara Antolick (Bethlehem, Pa.) led all scorers with 13 points each.

Antolick added nine rebounds, including five offensive boards. Lisnere was 4-for-6 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from behind the arc. Freshman Cintia Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y.) provided a spark off the bench, totaling eight points and seven steals. Freshman Jenny Eckhart (Libertyville, Ill.) had a game-best five assists in her first game in Orange.

Sipaviciute started things off with a basket 30 seconds into the game, but Bishop’s held the Orange scoreless during the next 3:56 to take a 5-2 lead. Sipaviciute added a pair of free throws at the 15:47 mark, and sophomore Mary Joe Riley (Inkster, Mich.) sank a jumper to put SU in front 6-5 with 14:33 left in the half. The Orange did not trail the rest of the game.

SU went on a 16-2 run to increase its lead to 18-7 almost midway through the first half. The Gaiters pulled within three when Anouk Boulanger hit a trey at the 10:00 mark. Junior Ashley McMillen (Penfield, N.Y.) responded with a three of her own to extend SU’s lead to 23-15. After Boulanger added a bucket to cut into the margin, 23-17, the Orange went on an 11-2 run to extend its advantage to 30-17 with 6:41 left in the first half. Sipaviciute scored the last two baskets for SU, and it took a 44-29 advantage into the locker room at the half.

SU shot 65 percent (17-26) in the first period, while holding Bishop’s to 39 percent (9-23).

At the beginning of the second half, Laure Pitfield connected on two free throws to make the score 44-31, but SU scored the next seven points to take its biggest lead of the game up to that point, 51-31. The Gaiters cut the lead to 14 points down the stretch when Emilie Crofton sank a three-pointer with 3:53 left in the game. After that, SU outscored Bishop’s 8-5 in the final 3:36 to win the game, 70-53.

The Orange used its height advantage throughout the game and it outscored Bishop’s, 40-10, in the paint. SU also capitalized on 27 forced turnovers by converting them into 27 points. SU distributed the ball well, and tallied 22 assists to Bishop’s 11.

For the Gaiters, Pitfield scored a team-high 12 points, while Boulanger added 11. Pitfield was 10-for-12 from the charity stripe in the game.

SU hosts its second and final exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 11, versus LeMoyne at 7:00 p.m. at Manley Field House. The tune-up is the last before the Orange opens its regular season slate on Nov. 18 at Manhattan.