Syracuse University
Georgetown University
SU's BIG EAST Tournament Run Ends in 61-60 loss to the Hoyas
3/5/2011 10:19:02 AM | Women's Basketball
|
Final Stats | Postgame Interviews | Tournament Central
|
HARTFORD, Conn. – Sophomore guard Elashier Hall netted 16 points and added two assists in a physical, 61-60 loss against No. 17/19 Georgetown (22-9) in the second round of the BIG EAST Tournament on Saturday, March 5. With the loss, Syracuse (22-9) is eliminated from the conference tournament.
Hall drained four field goals from beyond the arc in the contest to tie a career high. Junior guard Iasia Hemingway recorded 14 points and a team-best nine rebounds of her own. Hemingway was strong at the line for the Orange, sinking a career-high tying 10 free throws. Sophomore center Kayla Alexander was the third Orange player to register double-digit points with 11.
As a team, Syracuse shot 40.0 percent (16-40) from the field, compared to Georgetown's 33.9 percent (19-56). However, SU committed 19 turnovers, compared to GU's 10.
Georgetown jumped out to an 11-0 lead, thanks to a quick five from guard Rubylee Wright. SU was not able to find the net for the first five minutes of the contest, until Alexander got the squad on the board with a turnaround jumper from down low. Hall followed with a deep two, and the squad used a GU shot clock violation and foul on redshirt freshman forward Shakeya Leary to cut the Hoyas' lead back to single digits, down 14-6 with 11:35 remaining in the first.
The Orange used an 8-0 run to tie the game, sparked by a three-point play from Hemingway and a deep three from senior guard Erica Morrow. SU took its first lead of the game with seven minutes left in the half, when sophomore guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas checked into the game and drained a three point jumper.
The teams traded buckets and tied twice, but SU did not let the Hoyas take an advantage for the remainder of the half. Senior guard Tasha Harris added a jumper from beyond the arc and followed with three free throws to send the Orange into the locker room with its largest lead of half, up 27-22.
Georgetown drew first blood in the second half to pull within two, but Hall got things rolling for the Orange with a three-point jumper. A costly three-point foul allowed the Hoyas to close the gap to one, but solid free-throw shooting by Alexander gave SU a 34-31 advantage with 17 minutes to play.
Hall added another three-point field goal and Hemingway put in the layup despite taking a hard foul to extend Syracuse's lead to 42-31 with 14:16 to go. The Hoyas quickly battled back to shrink SU's buffer to five. The Hoyas drained a deep three to make it a 44-41 game with just under 10 minutes remaining.
Costly Georgetown fouls and strong work by Hemingway and Leary at the line helped the Orange take a 50-44 lead in the last seven minutes of play. The Hoyas offense quickly cut SU's lead back to one and Sugar Rodgers nailed two free throws to put GU in front, 54-53, for the first time in the half with 3:39 remaining.
The teams traded several costly fouls to tie the game at 57 with 16.2 seconds left in regulation. The Hoyas added two more from the line to take the lead with 11 seconds to play. After turning over the ball, SU was forced to foul and Wright nailed both free throws to make it a two possession game. Hall nailed a three at the buzzer, but it was not enough for SU, as the Orange were defeated 61-60.
SU will learn its fate when the 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship field of 64 is announced on Selection Monday, March 14 at 7 p.m. on ESPN
