Syracuse Stopped Just Short in Valiant Comeback Attempt against Seton Hall, 70-66

Tuesday, January 13

Carrier Dome

7 p.m.

Syracuse University

Seton Hall

Junior forward Nicole Michael led the Orange for the third time this season with 22 points on Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse Stopped Just Short in Valiant Comeback Attempt against Seton Hall, 70-66

1/13/2009 9:16:56 PM | Women's Basketball

Seton Hall 70, Syracuse 66 |
Nicole Michael Postgame |
Quentin Hillsman Postgame |

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Despite confining Seton Hall to without a field goal from the 6:33 mark of the second half, the rv/rv Syracuse women’s basketball team (13-4, 2-2) had its 11-game home win streak snapped at the hands of Seton Hall (13-3, 2-2), 70-66, on Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome.

Junior forward Nicole Michael led the Orange in scoring for the third time this season with 22 points behind 8-of-10 from the field. Michael also pulled in six rebounds. Sophomore guard Erica Morrow finished with 14 points and four steals while junior forward Vionca Murray tallied a season-high 11 points against the Pirates. Murray also posted a steal and a block.

Junior forward Juanita Ward and senior guard Chandrea Jones each represented eight points. Jones gathered a team-high eight rebounds while Ward corralled five boards.

Syracuse trailed the entire game until the 2:13 juncture of the second half when Michael secured her 22nd point of the night and tied the match, 66-66. In the final 10:23 of the contest, Syracuse put together a 20-8 run, but that edge could not overtake the lead Seton Hall had amassed throughout the course of the game.

Every significant statistical category for both teams were decided just a few marks from one another but the major discrepancy occurred in field goal conversion. Seton Hall constructed a clip of 52.0 percent (26-of-50) while the Orange finished at a rate of 40.0 percent (24-of-60).

The Orange found itself in a 7-0 hole to start the game before Jones ended Seton Hall’s early run, 7-2, with a pull-up jumper at 17:45 of the first half.

Seton Hall extended its lead to 12, 19-7, following the second media timeout. Nicole Emery drained five straight points broken up by a Murray layup, but the Pirates maintained heavy pressure in their defensive zone to hold SU to just seven points in the first eight minutes.

SU took the ball hard to the rack, as the Orange made eight trips to the line over the course of the next four minutes, converting on six tries. Morrow’s first 3-ball for Syracuse added onto the Orange’s 11-6 run to move within seven, 25-18.

After Morrow drilled her 10th point of the night at 3:27 of the first half, SHU’s Phyllis Mangina called for a breather as the Orange crept to within three, 30-27.

The visitors took the upper hand in the last two and a half minutes as the Pirates used a 7-4 edge to close out the first 20 minutes with a 37-31 lead.

Even in the face of getting outscored in the paint 16-8, Syracuse still made its presence felt in the post throughout the first half. SU trotted to the line 16 times and made 11 throws while Seton Hall earned only five trips to the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes.

Seton Hall had its lead swell to 11, 51-40, as four different Pirates found the bottom of the rim. Ebonie Williams knocked down two 3-balls in its spurt, but Michael kept the Orange in striking distance as she rattled off seven consecutive points in three straight possessions for Syracuse.

At the 10:30 mark of the second session, Seton Hall mounted its largest lead of the contest, 62-46. Freshman guard Tyler Ash and Ward brought it to within seven, 55-41, but the Pirates spread the ball around to four different players within the next five minutes to expand upon its advantage.

In the next six minute stretch, the Orange whittled Seton Hall’s lead down to six points, 65-59, as Michael poured in six and Morrow and Ward each accounted for two points to key the SU comeback.

Syracuse tightened its defense and played aggressive offense to tie the game at 66-66 with 2:08 remaining. Ward knocked down a runner before Jones snatched a missed free throw for the putback to get the Orange faithful on its feet. Michael weaved through Seton Hall’s zone to knot the game and close out the 7-1 run.

On Seton Hall's next possession, Nicole Emery earned a trip to the line and converted on the front end for the one-point edge, 67-66, with a 1:40 left.

Morrow stripped the ball with 31 seconds left but SU could not convert on the offensive end. Syracuse was called for a reach-in foul, sending Ebonie Williams to the line for a one-and-one. Williams converted both with 10 seconds to play. The Orange tossed up a final heave from behind the arc, but the ball fell into the hands of Jadin Rhodin. Syracuse fouled Rhodin who then made the first of two tries to ice the game, 70-66.

The Orange will have a chance for grand redemption as Syracuse travels to the Nutmeg State to take on the No. 1 team in the country in Connecticut on Saturday, Jan. 17 at XL Center in Hartford. Tipoff is slated for 2pm.