Game Notes (.pdf)
SU HOSTS ST. JOHN’S ON SENIOR DAY AT MANLEY FIELD HOUSE
The SU women’s basketball team plays its final home game of the 2005-06 campaign on Feb. 25 when it hosts St. John’s at Manley Field House. Syracuse University seniors Jill Norton and Meghan Viens will be honored in a brief cermony prior to tip off.
Norton, a Marlton N.J. native, has appeared in 76 games during her four year career with 25 starts. She is a career 35 percent (52-149) shooter from the field and has nine 3-point field goals. Against Miami on Feb. 18, 2004, Norton tallied a personal-best 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor. She has appeared in seven games this year and netted a season-high six points against Sacred Heart on Nov. 27. Norton has pulled down 127 rebounds in her career and owns a scoring average of 1.8 points per game. A three-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star and seven-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Norton will graduate with a degree in biology and hopes to attend medical school.
Viens, a senior manager, has been a member of the Orange women’s baskeball program for the last three years and works very closely with the coaching staff and players.
BACK AT MANLEY
After playing 10 straight home games at the Carrier Dome, the Orange returns to the friendly confines of Manley Field House for its regular-season home finale versus the Red Storm. SU played its first two home dates of the 2005-06 season in the building and split those decisions, losing to Sacred Heart on Nov. 27, 84-57, and defeating Colgate on Nov. 29, 92-56. Against the Raiders, sophomore center Vaida Sipaviciute exploded for a school-record 41 points. She also grabbed 21 rebounds. The Orange is 234-153 (.605) all-time at Manley.
RECORD CROWD PACKS CARRIER DOME
The largest crowd ever to watch an SU women’s basketball home game was on hand on Wednesday, Feb. 22 to see the Orange battle perennial power Connecticut in its final game at the Carrier Dome in 2005-06. A total of 3,779 spectators streamed the turnstiles at the Dome for the contest, eclipsing the previous home record crowd of 3,517 that watched the Orange and the Huskies on Feb. 25, 1995 at Manley Field House. Four of the top five crowds in SU women’s basketball history have come out for Connecticut.
The Orange led 23-20 at halftime Wednesday the Huskies, holding Connecticut to its fewest points in one half of play this season. The game was knotted at 30-30 with 14:44 to play, but the Huskies outscored SU, 35-6, the rest of the way to earn the triumph.
SCOUTING THE RED STORM
St. John’s will be looking for its second consecutive 20-win season when it meets Syracuse on Saturday. The Red Storm owns a 19-6 overall mark and has secured a spot in the 2006 BIG EAST Championship. St. John’s currently sits in fourth place in the conference standings with a 9-5 league record. The Red Storm has struggled away from home this season with five of its six defeats coming away from home. It is the third-highest scoring team in the league, averaging 71.0 points per game and St. John’s has outscored its foes by an average of 8.9 points per contest this season. It is also the third-best rebounding squad in the BIG EAST at 41.4 boards per outing. Angela Clark and Kia Wright are each averaging bettter than 14 points per game with Clark leading the way at 14.6 ppg. She is also the second-best rebounder on the club at 8.9 rpg. St. John’s is the only team to boast two of the top five board getters in the conference. Danielle Chambers ranks third at 9.2 rebounds per game. Kim Barnes Arico is in her fourth as the head coach at St. John’s. She holds an overall record of 151-126 (.545) and led the Red Storm to the second round of the WNIT in 2005.
THE SYRACUSE-ST. JOHN’S SERIES
St. John’s is one of SU’s two most familiar foes, this being the 47th meeting between the two teams (SU has also played Villanova 47 times). The Orange leads the all-time series, 24-22, with each squad winning two of the last four pairings. The Red Storm scored a three-point triumph against SU last season, winning, 57-54, at Carnesecca Arena. St. John’s overcame a career-high 22 points from
Chineze Nwagbo in the contest. Kia Wright hit 5-of-6 free throws in the last 45 seconds to seal the win. SU is 12-9 versus St. John’s in games played in Syracuse.
Syracuse vs. St. John’s Facts & Figures
All-Time Series: SU leads, 24-22
First Meeting: Feb. 16, 1980 (Syracuse 62, St. John’s 60)
Last Meeting: Jan. 22, 2005 (St. John’s 57, Syracuse 54)
Last 10 Meetings: SJU leads, 6-4
Current Streak: SJU, 2
Coach Cieplicki’s Record vs. St. John’s: 0-2 (at Vermont 0-0; at Syracuse 0-2)
