Junior forward Vionca Murray scored a season-best 11 points in SU's last outing on Tuesday night.
No. 1 UConn in Syracuse's Sights
1/16/2009 11:12:18 AM | Women's Basketball
| Syracuse | Ch. 76 |
| Auburn | Ch. 12 |
| Binghamton | Ch. 12 |
|
Corning | Elmira |
Ch. 99 (Ch. 1 for Digital Customers) |
| Cortland | Ch. 98 |
| East (Rome | Oneida | Ilion) | Ch. 96 |
| Hornell | Ch. 6 |
| Ithaca | Candor | Ch. 11 |
| Montrose | Ch. 98 |
| North Country | Watertown | Ch. 96 |
| Oneonta | Norwich | Ch. 56 |
| Sayre | Ch. 18 |
| Tri lakes (Saranac | Placid | Tupper) | Ch. 33 |
| Utica | Old Forge | Ch. 95 |
The game can be seen on Channel 76 for Time Warner in Syracuse or it can be viewed on ESPN360.com. It is free to any student on campus (in fact, to any student on any U.S. college campus -- nearly 18 million people). The Syracuse-UConn bout can also be heard on SUAthletics.com via Orange All Access, WTLA AM 1200 and WJPZ FM 89. Live stats will also be available here.
Catching Up with UConn
As the highest-ranked team in the land, it comes as no surprise that Connecticut has won all 16 games this season, including its first three BIG EAST challenges. The Huskies took out USF, West Virginia and DePaul by a combined margin of 30.3 points in their first conference tests. UConn has also defeated top-tier programs such as Oklahoma (106-78), South Carolina (78-41) and LSU (76-63).
Connecticut has earned the top billing nationally in five major statistical categories through 16 games this season. The Huskies are number one in scoring offense (87.5 ppg), field goal percentage (53.9), scoring margin (33.6 ppg), assists (22.2 pg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.64).
Sophomore forward Maya Moore represents Connecticut's most well-balanced player as she leads the club with 18.3 points per game. Moore is second on the team with 8.9 rebounds per game and has drained the second most 3-pointers this season with 27. On the defensive side, Moore has posted the most blocks (1.7 pg) and steals (1.8 pg) of any other Husky on the team. Junior center Tina Charles is the team's leading rebounder with 9.1 per outing.
The Syracuse-Connecticut series dates all the way back to the 1980-81 season and Saturday's showdown marks the 43rd meeting between these two Northeast powers. UConn holds the upper hand in the series, 30-12. The last time the Orange downed the Huskies was on Jan. 2, 1996 at Manley Field House in a 62-59 final. In early goings of the series, Syracuse dusted Connecticut in the first seven encounters.
In the previous encounter between the two teams, Syracuse took top-ranked UConn to the limit, but time ran out as the Huskies sneaked out of the Carrier Dome on Jan. 15, 2008 with a 65-59 win in front of a record-setting crowd of 4,221. Trailing 61-51 with just 3:43 remaining in the game, SU used an 8-0 run lasting 2:11 to pull within two (61-59) at 1:14. Jones, who scored a game-high 18 points, started the streak with a three at 3:25. Cintia Johnson and Jones added free throws and Murray converted a three-point play to close the gap. Connecticut forward Charde Houston battled a group of Orange defenders and sneaked a layup into the front of the basket to move ahead 63-59 with 38 seconds left. Two free throws by Renee Montgomery sealed the UConn victory.
Syracuse is 1-7, overall, in Hartford's XL Center.
Be Like Mike
Junior forward Nicole Michael led the Orange for the third time this season with 22 points against Seton Hall, one point shy from matching a season-high. Michael went 8-of-10 from the field in 29 minutes of action and rounded up six rebounds.
Michael has totaled 1,043 points in 74 career games to rank 17th on Syracuse’s all-time scoring chart. The junior is averaging 13.0 8.4 rebounds per contest. Michael has 10 double-figure games (including her last five), six 15+ point games and two 20+ point game. She has led SU in rebounding five times, steals once and blocks seven times.
Last Time Out
Sophomore guard Erica Morrow scored 14 points and logged four steals for the second straight game while junior forward Vionca Murray tallied a season-best 11 points.
Senior guard Chandrea Jones scored eight points and collected eight rebounds and junior forward Juanita Ward accounted for eight points and five boards.
Sophomore guard Tasha Harris reset a season-best by handing out eight assists.
The Orange had its 11-game home win streak cut short by Seton Hall on Tuesday night, 70-66, despite a noble comeback effort in the second half of play. The Orange kept Seton Hall scoreless from the floor over the final 6:33 on the clock and constructed a 20-8 run over the final 10:23 of the contest, but unfortunately it could not overcome SHU in the final result.
Stanchion to Stanchion | Laila Phelia
Wednesday, March 04
Naithan George postgame at Louisville
Wednesday, March 04
Adrian Autry postgame at Louisville
Wednesday, March 04
Highlights | Syracuse vs. Louisville
Wednesday, March 04
