Syracuse University
West Virginia
SU Dealt One-Point Setback at WVU
2/28/2009 4:31:49 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In a contest that featured eight lead changes in the last four minutes of play, the Orange women (15-13, 4-11) finished on the short end of a one-point game at West Virginia, 69-68, at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
With the game deadlocked at 59-59 and 3:52 on the clock, a basket by Nicole Michael gave the Orange a two-point cushion, 61-59. West Virginia's Takisha Granberry brought the crowd to its feet from downtown at 1:39 to go up 65-63. Sophomore guard Erica Morrow silenced the Morgantown backers with a matching three-pointer at 1:12, giving way to an exchange of layups as Syracuse held the lead, 68-67 with 42 ticks to go.
Granberry's jumper snatched the lead back, 69-68, with 21 seconds remaining. Morrow missed a layup opportunity with nine seconds left and the Orange fouled Natalie Burton on the rebound to send her to the line. Burton missed both tosses and junior forward Nicole Michael pulled down one of her game-high 13 rebounds, forcing head coach Quentin Hillsman to hail for a timeout. The ball fell to Michael on the inbound with seven seconds left. Michael tossed up the potential game-winner from behind the arc, but it did not fall through as the Mountaineers prevailed for its fifth consecutive time on its home court against Syracuse.
The Mountaineers washed out a 12-point lead with a 16-4 run in the middle of the second half to obtain the momentum for the remainder of the contest.
Senior guard Chandrea Jones led the Orange with 27 points, marking her 15th career 20-point game, while Michael secured her sixth double-double of the season by way of 22 points and her second 13-rebound performance in three games. Michael also mixed in two steals. Michael and Jones combined for 28 of SU's 31 second-half points and 49 of the Orange's 68 points, all together.
Morrow rounded out SU's double-digits scorers with 11 points, five boards and two dimes.
WVU's Ashley Powell registered the first points of the game, initiating a seesaw battle with both teams trading successful possessions as the first four minutes had the affair knotted at 6-6. Michael went 2-for-2 from the floor within the first stretch of the game.
Jones hammered one home from downtown to give Syracuse its first lead of the game, 9-6, at 15:25. The Orange clung onto a one-point advantage, 13-12, as Jones scored all of SU's points following her first 3-ball of the game.
Alex Sanabria jarred one from behind the arc to tie the game, 15-15, at the 10:12 mark, but a 15-footer from junior forward Juanita Ward and layup by Morrow put the Orange on top by four, 22-18, with 7:35 to go in the first half.
Powell lowered SU's lead to 22-21 with a trey, but an 8-2 run for the Orange enabled Syracuse with seven-point advantage, 30-23, with 3:38 remaining in the half. Jones stayed hot in the half, scoring six of SU's eight points within that spell.
The Mountaineers made it a two-point game with a 7-2 run the other way for West Virginia to slash it down to 32-30, but five points from Morrow before Sarah Miles converted a pair of free throws sent Syracuse into the locker room with a five-point buffer, 37-32.
Jones riddled the Mountaineers with a 7-of-12 exhibition for 15 points while Michael ripped down nine boards in the first half. The Orange outrebounded WVU, 27-17, in the opening session and turned those boards into 11 second-chance points to WVU's four.
Syracuse upheld its momentum by putting away the first two field goals, extending the lead to nine, 41-32. The Orange touched upon a nine-point twice more before Michael swished a 3-pointer for the largest lead of the game, 49-37, with 15:27 to play.
Takisha Granberry responded with a pair of 3-pointers, sparking a 16-4 run for the Mountaineers to tie the game, 53-53, with 9:41 remaining in the game.
Both teams scored but SU's defense smothered West Virginia, holding the Mountaineers scoreless for 3:27 while the Orange went back up four, 59-55, but Natalie Burton and Powell combined to lock the game back up, 59-59, with 3:52 left on the clock. West Virginia ran away with it in the end thanks to Granberry's heroics with 21 seconds left in the contest.
Syracuse will close out the regular season slate on Monday, March 2, when Providence pays a visit to the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m.
