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SU BEGINS TWO-GAME ROAD TRIP AT SETON HALL
The Syracuse women’s basketball team heads to New Jersey for a BIG EAST Conference showdown with Seton Hall at Walsh Gym on Jan. 25. The contest is the first of back-to-back road games for the Orange, which also competes at Providence on Jan. 28. The two-game road swing marks the first time since early December that SU will play consecutive away contests. The Orange enters its pairing with the Pirates as the only winless team in conference play. SU is 0-7 in the BIG EAST and owns an overall mark of 7-11. It’s 59-43 loss versus Cincinnati on Jan. 21 extended its losing streak in regular-season league games to eight, dating back to the 2004-05 regular-season finale. Against the Bearcats, freshman Jenny Eckhart led all SU scorers with a game-high 15 points and classmate Brittany Smith snared a team-high 11 rebounds, including six offensive caroms, matching her personal-best rebounding total established at South Florida. The Orange shot a season-low 26.9 percent from the field (14-52) and went a stretch of almost 10 minutes without converting a field goal in the first half. Cincinnati outscored the Orange 20-2 during that time to take control of the contest.
ECKHART APPROACHING 200 POINTS
Freshman guard Jenny Eckhart netted 15 points against Cincinnati to increase her season total to 187. Eckhart ranks third on the team in scoring average at 10.4 points per game. She needs 13 markers to become the first freshman since Raquel Nurse in 1994-95 to tally 200 points in her rookie campaign. Nurse, who is married to former Orange star and current All-Pro quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles Donovan McNabb, scored 203 points in 27 games (7.5 ppg) in her first season at Syracuse.
DON’T MAKE THEM EARN IT
The Orange are leading the BIG EAST in free throw shooting in conference games. Coach Cieplicki’s team is connecting on more than 80 percent of its free-throws in league play (89-111). Against Cincinnati on Jan. 21, SU made more than 90 percent of its free throws for the first time since 2002 against Villanova. The Orange was 11-for-12 from the charity stripe versus the Bearcats (91.7 percent). Junior Tracy Harbut is eighth in free-throw percentage in conference contests at 81.1 percent (30-37). The Orange made just over 60 percent of its foul shots in non-conference action (119-197) Overall, Syracuse is 208-of-308 from the free-throw line this year (.675) and ranks 11th in the conference.
JOHNSON SPARKS SU
Syracuse native
Cintia Johnson came off the bench in SU’s most recent game versus Cincinnati on Jan. 21. and tied her career-best six points. Johnson made both of her field goal attempts and connected on two of her three attempts from the free-throw line. She also contributed two rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes. Johnson has appeared in 17 games in 2005-06 with nine starts. She ranks second on the club in steals with 19.
SCOUTING THE PIRATES
Seton Hall lost three of its last four, including a 69-56 home loss to DePaul in its most recent contest on Jan. 21. The Pirates are 6-11 overall, 3-3 in BIG EAST play and are currently in a tie for seventh in the league standings. Seton Hall is averaging just 55.2 points per game and is shooting 36.2 percent from the field (349-963). The Pirates have outrebounded its opponents by an average of 1.2 boards per contest. Their leading rebounder is Monique Blake. Blake ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in caroms at 9.5 per contest. She is also the clubs top scorer at 12.1 points per game. Brittney Messina is the Pirates’ best 3-point shooter. She is 23-of-73 (.315) from behind the 3-point line this season. No one else on the team has more than nine makes on the year. Head coach Phyllis Mangina is in her 21st year at Seton Hall and is approaching her 300th career victory. She owns a career record of 294-296.
THE SYRACUSE-SETON HALL SERIES
Seton Hall owns a 26-17 lead in the all-time series. The two teams have split the last four meetings with the Orange claiming a 51-38 decision in last year’s home finale at Manley Field House. The Pirates’ 38 points was the fewest the Orange allowed since 2001-02 and was the fewest SU surrendered in a BIG EAST game since it held Boston College to 30 on Jan. 13, 1999.
Rochelle Coleman tied her career high with 10 rebounds in the game and
Lauren Kohn paced SU with 11 points. Seton Hall has won two of the last three meetings in New Jersey.
Syracuse vs. Seton Hall Facts & Figures
All-Time Series: SHU leads, 26-17
First Meeting: Dec. 20, 1980 (Seton Hall 65, Syracuse 54)
Last Meeting: Feb. 26, 2005 (Syracuse 51, Seton Hall 38)
Last 10 Meetings: SHU leads, 6-4
Current Streak: SU, 1
Coach Cieplicki’s Record vs. Seton Hall: 1-1 (at Vermont 0-0; at Syracuse 1-1)
