Hang 10: Orange Rides Winning Streak To 78-59 Win Against Siena

Friday, December 28

Carrier Dome

7 p.m.

Syracuse University

Siena

Sophomore forward Nicole Michael was 5-of-8 in the first half for a team-best 17 points. She finished with 19 points.

Hang 10: Orange Rides Winning Streak To 78-59 Win Against Siena

12/28/2007 9:30:21 PM | Women's Basketball

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange women’s basketball fought off a second-half charge by Siena to earn a 78-59 victory on Friday in the Carrier Dome. Behind a game-high 24 points by junior guard Chandrea Jones, SU extended its winning streak to 10 games and its record to 11-1. The winning streak is the longest since it won 10 consecutive during the 1974-75 season. The last time the Orange was 11-1 was during the 1978-79 campaign when it began 12-1.

Syracuse overcame Siena's surge which cut the Orange’s 43-28 halftime lead to 51-45 at 13:15. The Saints posted 17 points, while limiting the Orange to eight to begin the second half. SU responded by scoring 16 of the games next 22 points and claimed a 16 point advantage (67-51) at 5:14.

Controlling the clock the rest of the way, the Orange only allowed Siena to come within 19 points, which was the final point differential. SU scored 22 of its second-half points from the free-throw line, shooting 64.7 percent (22-33) and 69.9 percent (32-46) from the charity strip for the game

Jones, who has led the team in scoring six times this season, earned her fourth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds to go along with her 24 points. Senior forward Fantasia Goodwin registered her fourth consecutive double-double and seventh of the season with 19 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Goodwin has led the team in rebounds seven times this season and is averaging a team-best 10.8 boards per outing.

Sophomore forward Nicole Michael, who led the team with five steals, also posted 19 points, including a team-best 17 points in the first half.

For the game, the Orange shot 36.1 percent (22-61) from the floor, which was matched by the Saints 41.1 percent shooting (23-56). Syracuse earned 41.0 percent of its points (32) from the free-throw line, while Siena only posted seven.

In the first half, SU found itself trailing for the first time since the 9:26 mark of the second half in its 77-75 victory at Princeton on Dec. 16 when Siena jumped out to a 16-13 lead at 12:11. Syracuse responded with a 23-4 run during the next 7:17 to take a 36-20 advantage at 4:46.

Jones and Goodwin each scored six points during the streak and Michael added five. Twice during the run Michael picked off a pass, fed the ball to freshman guard Erica Morrow, who found Goodwin under the hoop for easy buckets. Both layups brought the Carrier Dome to its feet and forced Siena to burn a timeout in an attempt to kill SU’s momentum.

The Orange continued its first-half dominance with a 7-2 run to move ahead 43-24 at 1:07 and layups by Siena forward Laura Menty sent the game into the half at 43-28.

Michael scored nine of the Orange’s first 11 points and helped her team shoot 47.1 percent (16-34) in the first half, while the Saints shot 41.4 percent (12-29).

SU, which is receiving votes in the Associated Press Poll, outrebounded Siena 49-31. The Orange has outrebounded every opponent during its 10 game streak. Syracuse dominated the key by scoring 40 points in the paint and 21 second chance points, while only allowing 28 points and the paint and nine second chance points.

Siena, which moves to 4-8, also had three student-athletes in double-figures and Menty led the way with 19 points. Senior guard Melissa Manzer posted 15 and junior guard Shondaya Burrell registered 12 points.

The Orange returns to the hardwood on Monday, Dec. 31 when it welcomes in-state foe St. Bonaventure to the Carrier Dome for a 1 p.m. tip-off.