Syracuse University
University of Connecticut
Orange Loses at #1/1 Connecticut
2/28/2011 2:40:10 PM | Women's Basketball
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Final Stats | Postgame Interviews
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STORRS, Conn. - Senior guard Erica Morrow scored 11 points and had three rebounds in an 82-47 loss at No. 1/1 Connecticut (29-1, 16-0) in the regular-season finale for both teams. Morrow now has 1,601 career points in four years. The loss snaps Syracuse's (21-8 overall, 9-7 BIG EAST) five-game winning streak.
"Well, it's tough. [UConn is] the number one team in the country and they played like it tonight," head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "We came out and played as hard as we could …We played very hard and tough and I have to give my kids a lot of credit. They didn't lay down. I feel good about our season so far in one of the best conferences in the country. Tonight, we got the ball high-low and inside. We just have to come out and do that every night to win basketball games."
Junior guard Iasia Hemingway led the Orange offensive effort with 13 points, giving her a team-best 22 double-digit games. Hemingway also tallied seven boards in the contest. Sophomore guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas recorded seven points and two rebounds, while sophomore center Kayla Alexander added six points of her own.
Syracuse used full court pressure early in an attempt to temper the Huskies offensive effort, but strong shooting from beyond the arc gave UConn a quick 12-4 advantage just four minutes into the game. Tyson-Thomas banked in a three-point jumper to spark a 5-2 Orange run, but costly fouls allowed the Huskies to expand their buffer to double digits, going up 22-9 with 11:52 remaining in the first half.
Morrow drained a three and Tyson-Thomas supported the Orange on the glass, but UConn's effort in transition and ultimate control of the game's momentum put the Huskies up 34-12 with just over seven minutes to play in the half. Tyson-Thomas netted a layup to complete the play after recording a steal and Hemingway went 2-for-2 at the line to help the Orange pull within 20.
In the last two minutes, Hemingway and Alexander each added a layup from down low, but a combined 26 first-half points from Connecticut's Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes sent the Orange into halftime down 49-20.
Syracuse drew first blood in the second half, as Morrow nailed two free throws, but Moore countered with back-to-back layups and a deep three to put the Huskies up 58-23 with 16:27 left in the game. Alexander and Tyson-Thomas hit back-to-back jumpers from the paint before Morrow drained a three to make it 68-31 with just under 12 to play.
Hemingway and redshirt freshman forward Shakeya Leary added quick layups, but UConn's Bria Hartley tallied a bucket of her own to make it a 35 point game with the Huskies up 75-40 at the seven minute mark. The Huskies used a 7-5 run in the last four minutes to take the game, 82-47.
