Syracuse University
Georgetown
Hoyas Hands SU a One-Point Loss, 73-72
2/22/2009 8:26:08 PM | Women's Basketball
Student-Athlete Postgame Quotes | Head coach Quentin Hillsman Quotes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For the second time in three games, the Syracuse women's basketball team (15-11, 4-9) was on the short-end of a one-point game, 73-72, as Georgetown defeated the Orange for the second time this season on Sunday night at the Carrier Dome.
Senior guard Chandrea Jones posted her 14th career 20-point outing with a game-high 23 points behind 7-of-18 shooting along with six rebounds. Junior forward Nicole Michael logged her fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and 13 boards. Eleven of Michael's points came from the charity stripe on Sunday evening.
Sophomore guard Erica Morrow handed out a game-best six assists to match a season-high to go along with 10 points and five rebounds. Junior forward Vionca Murray mixed in eight points and five boards.
Sunday's rivalry was demonstrated with 15 lead changes and 10 ties. The decisive factor in GU's victory was its bench. The Hoyas bench outscored SU's 29-15. The largest differential in any category was the Hoyas' higher rate from the floor. Georgetown connected on 24-of-56 (42.9 percent) of its attempts while Syracuse finished 21-of-63 (33.3 percent) from the floor.
Syracuse had a chance for some last minute heroics as the Orange faced a one-point deficit with the ball on its end. SU inbounded the ball with 2.7 left in the game, but Georgetown's overwhelming defense prevented the Orange from getting off the final shot.
Head coach Quentin Hillsman employed all of his resources in the early moments as five different Orange scored in a deadlocked 10-10 affair at 15:32 of the first. Syracuse went 5-of-9 from the field in the first four and a half minutes while Georgetown drained two trifectas.
Freshman guard Lynnae Lampkins capped off a 7-0 run for the Orange at 11:02 to put Syracuse up seven, 23-16. Jones converted two successive 3-point plays, one the traditional way and the other behind the arc, while Murray factored in two back-to-back layups to initiated SU's spurt. Latia Magee put away two free tosses in between Jones' and Murray's contributions.
Georgetown ran off a 14-4 run in its favor over the course of the next five and a half minutes to assume the lead, 30-27, as Rubylee Wright swished back-to-back threes to finish off the spurt, but the Orange charged back with a 7-0 run of its own to go ahead 34-30 with 3:28 to play.
Syracuse went into the break owning a three-point lead, 37-34. The battle on the boards remained tight with the Hoyas holding the advantage, 21-20, but the Orange dominated inside with 14 points in the paint to Georgetown's eight.
The Orange held Georgetown without a field goal until the 15:03 mark of the second half, but Shanice Fuller went 6-for-6 from the foul line within the first 4:10 of the second session while Jones and Michael combined for seven points to stay ahead, 44-40, with 15:50 to play.
After an old-fashion 3-point play from Latia Magee coupled with a Fuller field goal, the Hoyas recouped the lead, 45-44, with 14:35 left to go. The lead switched back and forth four times throughout the following possessions, as Wright converted her third trey at 12:22 to keep Georgetown ahead, 51-49.
Jones sewed it back up, 51-51, but the Hoyas rattled off a 7-0 run to go up seven, 58-51,their largest lead of the game, with 9:58 to go. Six Orange free throws and two 3-point conversions from Harris and Morrow fueled a 14-7 exchange for Syracuse to tie the game back up at 65-65 with 5:53 reading on the clock.
Both teams scuffled down the stretch as Monica McNutt nailed a pair of freebies negated by Morrow's second trey of the game. Jones and Morrow each tacked on two free throws with the last coming at the 1:21 mark to give the Orange a three-point edge, 72-69. Jaleesa Butler cut through the lane and delivered a left-handed bucket to cut SU's lead to one, 72-71, with less than one minute left.
Syracuse had possession with 45 seconds on the clock, but the Hoyas swiped a pass in the lane with 35 seconds left. The Hoyas hailed for a time out and on the ensuing possession, Fuller knocked down a mid-range jumper to reclaim the lead, 73-72, with 24 ticks reading on the clock.
The Orange had its final possession knocked loose by Georgetown and SU had one last chance to inbound the ball with 2.7 second left. Michael was targeted and on the delivery, she was triple teamed by the Hoyas and could not get the shot off. Michael was consequentially whistled for traveling, sealing the game in GU's favor, 73-72.
Syracuse has only one day off before returning to the hardwood in South Bend, Ind. to tangle with Notre Dame on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.
