Syracuse University
Canisius
Postseason Play Pits SU against Canisius
3/17/2009 1:38:38 PM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes | Listen/Watch for Free | Live Stats
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse (16-14, 5-11) has reached postseason play in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history and will welcome Canisius College for the first round of the Women's NIT on Wednesday, March 18 at the Carrier Dome. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Orange's bid also marks the first time SU has ever competed in the Women's NIT Tournament. The winner of the Syracuse-Canisius first-round matchup earns a trip to Bowling Green, Ohio to meet up with the Falcons at a day and time TBD.
Tickets for SU's games against the Golden Griffins are on sale at the Carrier Dome box office, as well as 1-888-DOMETIX.
Ticket prices are as follows:
$10.00 for adults
$5.00 for students
$5.00 for youth 12 and under
The game can be seen and heard live on SUAthletics.com via Orange All Access for free on Wednesday evening. The game can also be heard live on WTLA AM 1200 and WJPZ FM 89.1. Live stats will be available on SUathletics.com.
Tourney Time with the Golden Griffins
Canisius is making the program's first appearance in the WNIT and second Division I postseason appearance. The Golden Griffins played in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, losing 80-48 to No. 1 Duke in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Golden Griffins assembled a 24-8 mark on the season and went 14-4 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Canisius' 24 victories represent the program's most wins since the Golden Griffins switched to Division I. This year's achievements marks CC's third 20-win season since the 1896-87 ledger. Before losing to Marist in the 2009 Citizens Bank MAAC Championship game, 78-63, Canisius knocked off five consecutive opponents.
Senior forward Marie Warner has started all 32 games and leads Canisius in scoring and rebounding with 16.1 points per game and 8.6 boards per trip. Junior guard Brittane Russell has totaled a team-best 3.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game while senior Amanda Cavo has knocked down a club-high 2.3 trifectas per game.
Canisius and Syracuse will square off for the 12th time. The last time the Orange and Griffs met up, Canisius pulled out a 56-43 victory on Dec. 22, 2006 at the Carrier Dome.
Orange Leaders to the NIT
Senior guard Chandrea Jones is the Orange's leading point scorer (16.8 ppg) and rebounder (8.7 rpg) and has started all 30 contests. Sophomore guard Erica Morrow is second on the club with 15.6 points per game and has posted a team-best 2.4 steals per contest. Morrow is averaging a team-high 2.0 treys per game at a clip of 30.9 percent (59-191).
SU's sophomore guard Tasha Harris has run the point effectively with a team-high 4.5 assists per game while junior forward Nicole Michael is third in scoring (14.7 ppg) and accrued a team-best mark of 0.73 blocks per contest. Syracuse's fifth starter, junior forward Vionca Murray, is averaging 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Orange Decorations
Jones is the sixth Syracuse player and the first since Tonya Hendrix (1989-90), to be named to the All-BIG EAST First Team. In addition to being named as one of the conference's elite, Jones set the SU single-season scoring record, tallying 503 points to move past teammate Nicole Michael's 501 points during the 2006-07 season into second place.
Michael was also honored by the BIG EAST by making the Honorable Mention list for her third consecutive season. The Queens, N.Y. native is only the third SU player to earn BIG EAST honors in three consecutive years. Julie McBride was named to the third team in 2001-02 and 2003-04 and the second team in 2002-03. Felisha Legette was named to the all-rookie team in 1984-85 and first-team in 1985-86 and second team in 1986-87.
This season, the Orange has received BIG EAST weekly recognition on eight occasions. Jones paved the way for SU with three Honor Roll mentions, Michael and Morrow were each tabbed twice to the weekly list while junior forward Juanita Ward was named to the docket once.
