Syracuse University
DePaul University
Orange Falls to DePaul, 77-61
2/8/2011 8:12:12 PM | Women's Basketball
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Sophomore guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas recorded her eighth career double-double as -/rv Syracuse (16-7, 4-6) dropped a 77-61 decisions to 10/14 DePaul (22-3, 9-1) on Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome. It was only the second home loss of the season for the Orange, which owns a 14-2 mark in the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome this season.
“It is very disappointing, I thought we had a great opportunity with a top 10 team on our floor and we let it go, which is very disappointing,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “One thing I always tell my team is it is not about the defense, it is not about the offense, it is about our zone. We need to play a better zone and not give up open looks. We have to do a better job of what we do night in and night out. For us to get better we need to execute our game plan better and prepare our team better.”
Tyson-Thomas led the Orange with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a trio of three's while adding a game-best 13 rebounds. Junior guard Iasia Hemingway was second on the team with 14 points and five rebounds while adding three assists and three steals. Redshirt freshman forward Shakeya Leary rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points – including 11 in the first half – and corralled six rebounds.
SU held a slight edge on the boards, 37-32, against the Blue Demons, marking the 21st time in the last 23 contests it has owned the rebounding battle. Sophomore guard Elashier Hall added seven points and four boards to the Orange effort while senior guard Tasha Harris directed the offense with a team-best four assists.
Hall opened the scoring with a short-range jumper but DePaul outscored the Orange, 10-3, through the next four minutes to take a 10-5 lead. The Blue Demons attacked the SU zone from the outside early, converting 4-of-6 from 3-point range in the first nine minutes to maintain a seven-point edge, 20-13.
Syracuse responded, quieting the DePaul offense for the next 3:40 while scoring 10 to take a 23-20 lead with 7:41 remaining in the first half. DePaul scored the next four to regain the lead, 24-23, but Tyson-Thomas connected from behind the arc to swing the lead back in SU's favor, 26-24. A Blue Demon jumper tied the game at 26, but a Hemingway jumper broke the deadlock to make it 28-26 with 5:54 left in the half.
DePaul scored the next five to recapture the lead for the third time, 31-28, but Leary recorded the hoop and the harm to tie the game, 31-31, with 4:03 remaining. A pair of free throws by Hemingway put the Orange up, 33-31, before Deirdre Naughton assembled a five-point run to swing the lead in the opposite direction, 36-33.
A break-away layup by Hall pulled SU within one, 39-35, but China Threatt knocked down the teams seventh three of the half to send the Blue Demons into the locker room with a 39-35 advantage.
DePaul used a 6-2 run out of the intermission to build its lead, 45-37. The Orange outscored the guests, 7-3, through the next three minutes to cut the lead to four, 48-44, with 15:11 remaining in regulation. The Blue Demons used a 15-5 scoring stretch to build its lead, 63-49, with 10:23 left on the clock.
The teams traded scores through the next four minutes, with DePaul taking a 16-point lead, 71-55, on a Keisha Hampton trifecta with 5:51 to go. The Blue Demons maintained its lead through the remainder of regulation to secure the 77-61 victory.
Syracuse returns to the Carrier Dome on Friday, February 12 for the second in a three-game home stand when it hosts Villanova in the annual Pink Zone Game. The Carol Baldwin Foundation and The Dimples Awareness Foundation will both be on hand to distribute information and bring awareness to their causes. Pink t-shirts will be given out as part of the in-game t-shirt toss while Syracuse will be dressed in pink warm-ups, pink uniforms and pink shoelaces. Anyone wearing pink to the game will receive a discount on a general admission ticket.
Saturday will also be Girl Scout Day and High School Day as part of the BIG EAST Pack the House challenge. More than 100 girl scouts in attendance all receiving an SU women's basketball Girl Scout patch while more than 25 high school teams will also be present for the action.
