Listen to the Game
Live Stats
HARTFORD, Conn. - The Syracuse women's basketball team will face 14th-ranked Connecticut in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament on Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. in the Hartford Civic Center. The game will be televised live on College Sports Television (CSTV) and Connecticut Public Television (CPTV).
SU (13-15) is the 11th seed in the tournament and advanced out of the first round with a 65-58 win against sixth-seeded Georgetown on Saturday. UConn (20-7) is the third seed and received a first-round bye.
ORANGE REACHES QUARTERFINALS FOR SECOND TIME IN FOUR YEARS
Syracuse provided the only upset of the first round, defeating sixth-seeded Georgetown, 65-58, on Saturday. SU avenged two regular-season losses to the Hoyas with the win. The victory stopped a five-game overall losing streak to the Hoyas and a three-game skid to GU in BIG EAST Tournament action. Senior
Chineze Nwagbo led the Orange with 19 points and 13 rebounds, her eighth double-double of the season. Freshman
Jessica Richter had 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, a blocked shot and a steal in her first BIG EAST Tournament game. Sophomore
Tracy Harbut added nine points, a career-high 10 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in her first start since December 30. All eight players that got on the floor for the Orange scored, including six players with at least seven points. The win was SU’s first in the BIG EAST Tournament since the 2002 quarterfinals and the first league postseason win for head coach Keith Cieplicki at Syracuse.
A WIN VERSUS CONNECTICUT WOULD …
- Stop the Orange’s 16-game losing streak versus ranked teams
- End UConn’s 12-game winning streak versus Syracuse
- Put the Orange in the semifinals for the first time since 2002
- Make Syracuse the lowest seeded team to reach the semis since 13th-seeded Pittsburgh in 1996
- Give the Orange 14 victories for the season, tying its second-best season since 1990-91
THE SYRACUSE-CONNECTICUT SERIES
Connecticut leads the all-time series with Syracuse, 26-12. Surprisingly, the Orange and Huskies, two of the league’s original teams, have never faced each other in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Huskies have won 19 of the last 20 games, including 12 straight. The Orange’s last win against UConn came on January 2, 1996 at Manley Field House, 62-59. SU has lost 10 straight on the road to the Huskies, dating back to a 68-51 win at Gampel Pavilion on Jan. 15, 1992.
BIG EAST ORANGE SLICES
- Syracuse is 11-21 all-time in BIGEAST Tournament play.
- The Orange has participated in every BIGEAST postseason.
- Syracuse won its only conference tournament championship in 1985 as the fifth seed. The Orange is the lowest seed ever to win the tournament title. Syracuse defeated fourth-seeded Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals, top-seeded St. John’s in the semifinals and second-seeded Villanova in the championship game. It is the only time that SU has played the number-one seed in the BIGEAST postseason. The tournament was also the only one ever played on SU’s home floor at Manley Field House.
- SU’s first-round win versus Georgetown marked the first time in school history that the Orange lost its regular-season finale and then won its BIG EAST Tournament first-round game.
- The opening round win against Georgetown was the first time Syracuse won a game in the conference postseason as the 11th or 12th seed. SU is 0-2 as the #12 team (2000, 2004) and 1-1 as the #11 team (1997, 2005). Syracuse is the first 11th seed to advance to the quarterfinals since Rutgers in 2002.
SENIOR TRIO GETS THIRD LEAGUE TOURNAMENT WIN
Seniors
Rochelle Coleman,
Chineze Nwagbo and
Sarah Wegrzynowicz are the first Orange graduating class to win three games in the BIG EAST Tournament in their careers since the seniors in 1988 left SU with six postseason wins, including the conference championship in 1985 as freshmen. Nwagbo was a sophomore on the 2002 team that advanced to the semifinals. She was injured in the first-round game of that tournament, causing her to miss the 2002-03 season. Colemand and Wegrzynowicz were both rookies on that squad. SU’s fourth senior,
Krystalyn Ellerbe, is in her third season at SU after joining the team from Tallahassee Community College in 2002-03.
ORANGE CRACKS 140 MARK FROM THREE
Syracuse made five of its 11 three-point attempts against Georgetown to run the team’s season total to 143. It is the fourth-most three-pointers in school history and the fourth consecutive season that the Orange has made at least 140 threes. The 2001-02 team set the school record with 179 three-pointers. Syracuse’s 33.8 percent three-point percentage is the second-best in school history (35.1 – 2002-03). Senior
Rochelle Coleman (45), sophomore
Lauren Kohn (45) and freshman
Jessica Richter (44) are the first three players in school history to each make at least 40 triples in the same season.
SYRACUSE DEFENSE HOLDS HOYAS UNDER SIXTY
After allowing Georgetown 70 points and 73 points during the regular season, SU limited the Hoyas to just 58 points in the first round matchup. The win ran SU’s record to 10-3 this season when holding opponents to less than 60 points. The Orange is 19-6 in its last 25 games and 31-9 in its last 40 games when giving up less than 60. For the season, Syracuse is allowing opponents an average of 60.4 points per game. It is the second-lowest scoring defense average in school history. The 1978-79 team allowed 53.4 points per game.
VALUING EACH POSSESSION
Syracuse turned the ball over just 14 times against Georgetown, three below the team’s season average. Just three of the miscues came in the decisive second half. In the first half against the Hoyas, SU turned the ball over 11 times and was outscored 12-5 in points off turnovers. The seven-point differential more than accounted for SU’s three-point deficit at halftime(34-31). In the second half, SU’s three turnovers led to just two Georgetown points, while the Orange netted seven points off GU mistakes. The Orange outscored Georgetown 34-24 in the second half. Limiting costly miscues is a must for Syracuse. In SU’s last 10 loss, opponents have outscored the Orange 232-92 in points off turnovers. The 131-point differential accounts for 80.4 percent of the combined 163-point margin of defeat in those 10 games. In SU’s last seven wins, SU has a 94-85 advantage in points off turnovers.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE FREE ONES
Syracuse was 18-for-24 (75 percent) from the foul line in its first-round victory against Georgetown. The Hoyas made just 4-of-11 free throws (36.4). Seven of the Orange’s 13 victories have come when shooting at least 20 free throws. Against Georgetown, Syracuse went 12-for-15 in the final five minutes to stretch a one-point lead to as many as nine.
INSIDE THE ORANGE OFFENSE
- The Orange is 11-3 when scoring at least 60 points and 2-12 when going for less than 60.
- SU’s 45 points in its win against Villanova was fewest number of points the Orange has scored in a victory since a 45-41 win at Keuka College on Feb. 12, 1975. It was the fewest for a home win since a 40-23 victory against Corning Community College on Mar. 7, 1972, Syracuse’s first season of basketball. SU’s 51 points against Seton Hall marked just the second time this season the Orange has won a game when scoring fewer than 60 points. It is only the third time the Orange have won a game when scoring fewer than 55 points since the 1990-91 season.
- In SU’s 13 wins, the Orange is scoring 63.3 points and shooting 42.5 percent overall and 36.7 from three. In the 15 losses, Syracuse is averaging 53.1 points per game and shooting 36.0 percent overall and 31.7 percent from deep.
- Syracuse has 367 assists on 604 field goals this season (60.8 percent). SU has not assisted on 60 percent of its field goals for an entire season since the 2000-01 campaign when the team had 424 assists on 651 field goals (65.1 percent).
SU AT HALFTIME
The Orange’s first-round victory against Georgetown was its fifth of the season when trailing at halftime. In the first 55 games of the Keith Cieplicki Era at Syracuse, the Orange has recorded eight wins after trailing at halftime. SU totalled six comebacks when trailing at halftime in the previous four seasons, a span of 83 games. In his time at Syracuse, Cieplicki has lost just two games when leading at halftime (04-05; Kent State, Pittsburgh). SU is 32-5 in its last 37 games when leading at halftime. SU is 8-2 this season and was 3-0 in 2003-04 when leading at the half. SU was 8-2 in 2002-03 when leading at intermission, winning seven of their last eight games with a halftime advantage. Syracuse was 13-1 in 2001-02 when leading at halftime.
INSIDE THE FG NUMBERS
Since the start of the 2002-03 season, SU is 25-11 when shooting better than their opponents and 4-43 when on the opposite end of the field goal percentage numbers. Forty percent had been the Orange’s key number this season. Syracuse is 9-4 this season when it converts at least 40 percent of its field goal attempts. SU is 10-4 in the last three seasons, including 2-1 in 2004-05, when hitting at least half its shots.
NWAGBO NETS FIRST BIG EAST POSTSEASON DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior
Chineze Nwagbo had her team-best eighth double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds against Georgetown. It was Nwagbo’s first double-double in four career BIG EAST Tournament games. Nwagbo has 16 career double-doubles which is tied for ninth on the Syracuse career list (Mary Schiavetta, 1979-83). Nwagbo is the Orange’s leading scorer at 10.3 points per game and leading rebounder at 7.6 boards per contest.
FREE THROW STREAK CRACKS 20
Nwagbo was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line in SU’s win against Georgetown. Nwagbo has now made 23 consecutive foul shots. Her last miss came against St. John’s on January 22. Nwagbo entered the season as a 49.1 percent foul shooter for her career. This season, she is at 73.1 percent and finished the BIG EAST season second in the league at 83.3 percent.
COMING ALIVE AT THE RIGHT TIME
Nwagbo is averaging 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in SU’s last two games. Her latest outburst is on the heels of a five-game stretch were he averaged just 4.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. It is the first time she has registered back-to-back double-digit games since four consecutive games in double figures from Jan. 2-22.
COLEMAN REACHES LONG-RANGE MILESTONE
Senior
Rochelle Coleman made on three-pointer against Georgetown to improve her career total to an even 150. She is the third player in school history to reach that milestone. Coleman is third on the Orange’s career three-point ledger, trailing leader
Julie McBride (229, 2000-04) and Jaime James (226, 1998-02).
HARBUT MAKES FIRST START IN MORE THAN TWO MONTHS
Sophomore
Tracy Harbut was in the first unit versus Georgetown. It was her first start since the Cornell game on December 30. Harbut rewarded head coach Keith Cieplicki’s faith by scoring nine points and snaring a career-high 10 rebounds. She also had two assists, a blocked shot and two steals. Harbut was invaluable on the defensive end as well, helping limit BIG EAST All-Freshman pick Kieraah Marlow to only five points. She had a combined 33 points in the first two meetings with Syracuse. Harbut has become another scoring threat for the Orange in the last five games. In that stretch, she is averaging 8.2 points, more than twice her 3.6 points per game season average. Harbut has asserted herself on the offensive end, taking at least five shots in each of the last five games. She shot five-or-more times just three times in the Orange’s first 22 games.
RICHTER MAKES MOST OF POSTSEASON DEBUT
Freshman Jessica Richter showed no signs of the rookie jitters in her first career BIG EAST Tournament game. Richter had 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in 23 minutes off the bench versus Georgetown. Richter made three three-pointers, including one that gave the Orange a 47-45 lead it would never give up. Richter was SU’s top scorer in league play at 11.9 points per game and ranks second on the team overall at 9.9 points per contest.
AMONG THE MOST PRODUCTIVE ROOKIES IN SU HISTORY
Richter ranks among the Orange’s all-time top 10 freshmen in scoring, rebounding and steals. She is SU’s seventh-highest scoring freshman of all-time with 276 points. Her 119 rebounds is tied for 10th among Orange rookies, while her 48 steals is tied for fourth.
RILEY CONTINUES SECOND-HALF SURGE
Freshman guard
Mary Joe Riley continued her run of solid play in the last six weeks with seven points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal against Georgetown. Riley missed all of preseason practice and SU’s first three game with a knee injury. She saw limited action until the West Virginia game on Jan. 26. Since then, Riley is averaging 6.8 points per contest. She not only has the ability to beat defenders off the dribble, but has also given the Orange another perimeter threat. Riley is 8-for-20 from the three-point line in the last 11 games, including five makes in her last nine attempts. For the season, Riley is averaging 4.1 points per game.
YOUNG ONES IN THE STARTING LINEUP
SU head coach Keith Cieplicki used his ninth different starting lineup this season in SU’s first-round win against Georgetown. Versus the Hoyas, the Orange started two freshmen (
Amanda Adamson,
Mary Joe Riley), a sophomore (
Tracy Harbut) and two seniors (
Rochelle Coleman,
Chineze Nwagbo). Syracuse has had at least one freshman start every game this season. The Orange has had two rookies in the first five 13 times and three freshman in the starting lineup nine times.
