Syracuse University
St. John's
SU Faces SJU in BIG EAST Tourney Today
3/6/2009 11:35:08 AM | Women's Basketball
Tournament Central
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - With a 78-72 victory against Providence Monday night, the Orange women's basketball team concluded its regular season schedule and begins preparation for the 2009 BIG EAST Championship March 6-10 in Hartford, Conn. No. 12 seed Syracuse (16-13, 5-11) is the opening game of the tournament facing No. 13 seed St. John's at noon in the XL Center.
This is the second appearance in the conference championship for the Orange under third-year head coach Quentin Hillsman and its 25th overall. Last season, the sixth-seeded Orange met the 11th-seeded USF Bulls but lost 67-68 in OT. Syracuse went on to cap off a historic season with its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The program recorded its first BIG EAST Tournament victory in 1985, defeating No. 4 Pittsburgh, 56-55. Syracuse went on to upset top-seeded St. John's, 67-49, and No. 2 Villanova, 57-56, to claim its only BIG EAST Championship.
The Orange head into the tournament led by senior Chandrea Jones and junior #Nicole Michael#. Jones, who is a first-team All-BIG EAST honoree, is averaging a team-best 17.0 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game and has scored in double-figures a team-high 26 times, including the last 12 games, Michael, who earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades for the second year in a row, She is just the fifth SU player to score 1,250-plus points and record 650-plus rebounds. The forward heads into the tournament averaging 15.0 points per game and 8.2 boards per game.
Orange fans are encouraged to come show their support in Hartford. Tickets can be purchased online on the XL Center's website or via Ticketmaster. Tickets can also be purchase from Ticketmaster by phone at (800) 745-3000.
As with all of the women's hoops games, the contest with St. John's can be heard on SUAthletics.com, via the Orange All Access package. The BIG EAST conference will also provide coverage on BIGEAST.tv, its online streaming network.
With a win against the Red Storm, the Orange will face No. 5 Notre Dame at Noon on Saturday, March 7 in the second round. That game will be broadcast by BETV.
Coach Hillsman is 3-0 versus the Red Storm with his most recent victory coming on February 14. The Orange out-rebounded St. John's, 49-32, on its way to a 79-78 triumph. Four members of the Orange squad reached double-figure points in Jamaica, N.Y. Junior Nicole Michael led all players with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Chandrea Jones posted 21 points, while sophomore Erica Morrow and junior Vionca Murray recorded 13 and 10 points, respectively.
After a back-and-forth first half on Valentine's Day which ended with St. John's holding a 43-39 edge, the Orange opened the second half with a 13-4 run for a 52-47 lead with a little over 15 minutes remaining in the game. SU continued to apply pressure and was up by seven, 65-58, by the 8:18 mark.
Despite working up to a 10-point advantage on two separate occasions, a 9-2 run by the Red Storm brought St. John's within three, 76-73, with 2:06 to play. A free-throw from Morrow made it a two-possession game, but a three-pointer from SJ's Britney Murphy cut the lead to one with about three seconds left. The Orange successfully inbounded the ball and held on for the win.
With a win against St. John's, the Orange women would move on to the second round of the tournament playing fifth-seeded Notre Dame on Saturday, March 7. Action would begin at noon in the XL Center.
