SU Caps Regular Season against Friars
3/2/2009 1:45:11 PM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes | Live Stats | Watch/Listen Live
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse women's basketball team (15-13, 4-11) closes out the regular season when the Orange plays host to Providence on Monday, March 2, at the Carrier Dome. The Friars have accrued an identical mark in the league, so Monday's tip at 7 p.m. will break the stalemate between both squads' BIG EAST records.
The game can be seen and heard live on SUAthletics.com via Orange All Access, WTLA AM 1200 and WJPZ FM 89. Live stats will be available on SUathletics.com.
Prepping for Providence
Providence hung tough with #23/22 Notre Dame in the Friars final home game of the season, losing 65-56. On Feb. 25, PC topped Marquette, 51-49; a squad the Orange ousted on Jan. 27, 66-55. Prior to the victory against the Golden Eagles, the Friars lost four consecutive games. Before league play, Providence compiled a 6-7 non-conference mark.
Senior guard Chelsea Marandola, who has led PC in scoring the last three trips out, is averaging a team-best 11.6 points per game. Marandola also leads the Friars with 1.2 steals per outing and is a sharpshooter from the charity stripe with a club-best clip of 85.7 percent (42-49).
Senior forward Shantee Darrian has pulled down a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game while senior guard Catherine Bove has doled a team-leading 2.0 assists per trip.
Providence has governed the overall series, owning a 30-15 advantage against the Orange. Syracuse has enjoyed more success in Central New York when facing the Friars, totaling a 10-9 record, but in Rhode Island, PC has come away with 18-of-23 decisions. Syracuse looks to snap a three-game losing streak to Providence in the season finale.
Double Trouble for Friars
Senior guard Chandrea Jones led the Orange with 27 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 30 minutes of action at West Virginia on Feb. 28. The senior was 12-of-21 (.571) from the field, including 1-of-1 (1.000) from behind the arc. She was also a perfect 2-of-2 (1.000) from the foul line.
It was her 15th career 20+ point game, which ranks second all-time at SU, only behind junior forward Nicole Michael's 17. It was also her 10th 20+ point game this season, which is tied for second on SU's single-season list, one game behind Holly Oslander's 11 during the 1990-91 season.
She has scored in double-figures a team-high 25 times, including the last 11, and has led SU in scoring eight times. Jones has also led SU in rebounding a team-best 13 times. She has led the team in steals 11 times, blocks on eight occasions and assists three times.
The senior is averaging a team-best 17.0 points and a team-high tying 8.4 rebounds per contest. She has also added 2.0 steals and 1.6 assists per game. She has a team-high 18 15+ point games, a team-best 10 20+ point games and one 33-point game season. Jones also has a team-high 11 double-figure rebounding performances.
Junior forward Nicole Michael secured her sixth double-double of the season by way of 22 points and her second 13-rebound performance in three games. The junior also had a team-best two steals at West Virginia on Feb. 28. She was 9-of-14 (.643) from the field and 3-of-4 (.740) from the free-throw line.
Michael is just the fifth player in SU history to record 1,200+ points and 650+ rebounds. Michael has amassed 1,228 points in 85 career games to rank eighth on Syracuse's all-time scoring chart. Her 684 rebounds are also eighth on SU's all-time chart.
The junior is averaging 14.7 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds per contest. She has also added 1.0 steals per game. Michael has made 47.3 percent (132-279) of her attempts. The junior has 20 double-figure scoring games (including 15 of her last 16), 12 15+ point games and six 20+ point games. She has led SU in scoring five times, rebounding 10 times, steals six times and blocks on 12 occasions.
Her 17 career 20+ point games are the most ever in SU history and her 21 career double-doubles rank seventh all-time at SU.
