Orange Hosts Red Storm On Wednesday

Syracuse vs. St. John's
Game Details	Wednesday, Jan. 11 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 7 p.m. Carrier Dome Purchase Tickets
Game Coverage	TV: None Radio: ESPN 97.7FM/1200 AM, WJPZ 89.1 FM Orange All Access: Video \| Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @SyracuseWBB @suorangeempire
Syracuse Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule
St. John's Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse Orange women's basketball team (12-5, 1-2 BIG EAST), fresh off a 83-60 victory at Pittsburgh on Saturday, returns home to host RV St. John's (10-6, 2-1) at the Carrier Dome on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
• Fans can watch the game live from around the world on Orange All-Access at SUathletics.com. The contest can be heard live on SU's flagship station ESPN 97.7 FM/1200 AM with Brian Higgins '04 on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on Syracuse's student station, WJPZ 89.1 FM. Live statistics are also available on SUAthletics.com.

FOLLOW THE ORANGE!
• You can stay up to date with all of the latest news, scores, stats, photos, videos and more by following the Orange on social media! The Syracuse women's basketball team is now on Twitter! Follow the Orange at Twitter.com/SyracuseWBB and follow all of SU's team's at Twitter.com/suorangeempire. SU is on Facebook at Facebook.com/SyracuseOrange.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 54th meeting all-time between Syracuse and St. John's with the Orange holding a 28-25 edge in the series, including last season's game.
• The Orange is 14-11 at home against SJU, including 1-1 at the Carrier Dome.
• On Feb. 11, 2011 at Carnesecca Arena, Kayla Alexander scored 26 points to lead the Orange to a come-from-behind 78-67 victory. SU trailed with five minutes left, but used a 19-8 late run. Iasia Hemingway (13), Elashier Hall (10) and Shakeya Leary (10) all scored in double figures. Da'Shena Stevens led the Red Storm with 18 points.
• The last time the teams met in Syracuse, on Jan. 27, 2010 at the Carrier Dome, the Orange lost, 68-65, in a game that featured seven ties and 18 lead changes. Nicole Michael scored 22 points and grabbed 12 boards for SU, while St. John's was led by Shenneika Smith's 28 points.
• The only other Dome meeting was a 80-52 SU victory on Jan. 26, 2008.

SCOUTING ST. JOHN'S
• The Red Storm is 10-6 overall and 2-1 in BIG EAST play. It is receiving two votes in this week's AP poll.
• St. John's has won three in a row, all at home, over Boston University (75-38), Providence (57-41), and most recently, a 72-64 upset of No. 14 Louisville, 72-64, on Sunday.
• SU and St. John's have not played a common opponent.
• The Red Storm led No. 1 Baylor, 32-30, at the half before falling to the Bears, 73-59, on Dec. 11.
• Eugeneia McPherson leads the Red Storm in scoring at 14.4 points per game while shooting 39.2 percent (20-51) from behind the arc.
• 6-1 Shenneika Smith and 6-2 Amber Thomas lead a strong frontcourt, averaging 12.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 8.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, respectively.
• Kim Barnes Arico (Montclair State '93) is in her 10th season as head coach. She is 162-130 in her career and led St. John's to a 22-11 record in 2010-11, taking the team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

BIG EAST WIN AT PITT
• Iasia Hemingway's career-high 33 points and a strong second half defensive effort led Syracuse to a 83-60 conference victory at Pittsburgh's (8-8, 0-3) Peterson Events Center on Saturday afternoon.
• The Panthers could not solve SU's 2-3 zone. The Orange held Pitt to 29.2 percent shooting in the second half and 35.8 percent for the game, and scored 23 points off 23 turnovers.
• At the offensive end, the Orange set the PEC facility record for free throws made (34) and attempted (38), led by Hemingway's school-record and building-record 15 makes on 16 attempts. SU shot 40 percent from the field, including 5-of-16 from 3-point range.
• Hemingway's 33 points tied SU's season-high for points. Kayla Alexander scored 33 against Binghamton on Nov. 26.
• La'Shay Taft (13), Alexander (10) and Carmen Tyson-Thomas (10) rounded out the Orange's four players in double figures.

HEMINGWAY HONORED BY CONFERENCE
• For the second week in a row, senior forward Iasia Hemingway was named to the BIG EAST's Women's Basketball Honor Roll for her performances last week for the Orange.
• Hemingway averaged 23.5 points and 7.0 rebounds as the Orange went 1-1 in a pair of conference road games last week. She led SU in scoring in both games.
• She poured in a career-high 33 points and grabbed eight boards in SU's 83-60 victory at Pittsburgh on Saturday. Hemingway went 15-of-16 at the line, setting the Syracuse school record and the Peterson Events Center facility record for free throws made.
• Hemingway received the same honor the previous week after averaging 23.5 points in a pair of 51-point victories at home vs. Niagara and Colgate.

2 OUT OF 3 IN VEGAS
• The Orange went 2-1 at the Duel In The Desert at UNLV's Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Dec. 18-20. SU opened with a 70-67 victory over 2011 Sweet Sixteen team Xavier, before falling to RV Oklahoma, 82-63. The Orange wrapped up play with a 81-70 victory over Ohio.
• Carmen Tyson-Thomas led the Orange with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Xavier victory. Elashier Hall led SU with 19 points in the Oklahoma game, and Iasia Hemingway poured in 24 points and grabbed 10 boards in the win vs. Ohio.

DOMINATING THE GLASS
• Dominant rebounding has become the norm for the Orange in recent years. Syracuse leads the NCAA in rebounding, averaging 49.9 per game and ranks seventh in margin at +13.1 per game.
• In the BIG EAST, SU leads the conference in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds (22.1), defensive rebounds (27.8) and rebounding margin this season.
• SU has four of the top 20 rebounders in the BIG EAST (5. Carmen Tyson-Thomas, 8.3; 10. Kayla Alexander, 7.6; 16. Iasia Hemingway, 7.0; and 17. Shakeya Leary, 6.8.
• Syracuse led the NCAA in rebounding margin last season at +13.4 per game. SU outrebounded 31 of its 35 opponents.

STRONG AT THE STRIPE
• An aggressive, attacking style of offense results in the Orange leading the NCAA in free throws made (336) and attempted (441).
• Syracuse leads the BIG EAST in free throw shooting percentage at .762, which is 24th nationally.
• Carmen Tyson-Thomas has the second-best percentage at the charity stripe in the conference (.911).
• On Jan. 7 at Pitt, The Orange went 34-of-38 (.895) at the line, including Iasia Hemingway setting a school record with 15 free throws in 16 attempts.

ALEXANDER CONTROLS THE POST
• Junior center Kayla Alexander is the Orange's second-leading scorer (15.1 ppg.) and rebounder (7.6 rpg.) this season. She ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in both categories, while leading the conference in blocked shots (43 total, 2.5 per game).
• Alexander is fourth on Syracuse's career blocked shot list with 204. Chris Palombi (1981-84) ranks third with 217.
• Alexander scored a career-high 33 points against Binghamton on Nov. 26, giving her 1,008 points in her career. She becomes the 21st player in program history to score 1,000 points in her career and the first since Erica Morrow accomplished the feat in 2009-10.
• Alexander was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll for her performance in Syracuse's first three games of the season. She averaged 18.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in the three contests.
• Alexander is fourth on SU's career free throws made list at 329. Next up is Julie McBride (2001-04) with 348.

HEMINGWAY SPARKS ORANGE
• Senior Iasia Hemingway has reached double figures in scoring in 14 of 17 games this season and reached the 30-point mark three times. She leads the team in scoring (16.6 ppg), ranks fourth in the BIG EAST, and averages 7.0 rebounds.
• She scored a career-high 33 points, including a school-record 15 free throws in 16 attempts, in a win at Pitt (1/7).
• She set a then-career-high with 31 points to go along with 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season vs. Colgate on Dec. 31.
• Hemingway played the first two years of her career at Georgia Tech before transfering to SU. She has scored 1,353 points in her career, 728 of them wearing Orange.

TYSON-THOMAS MAKES IMPACT
• Junior Carmen Tyson-Thomas ranks third on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg.) and leads the club in rebounding (8.3 rpg) this season.
• She had a streak of three-straight double-doubles (12/29, 12/31, 1/3) and has scored in double figures in five-straight. She has five double-doubles on the season and 14 in her career.
• The versatile swing-player has set career-highs in scoring in twice this season. Tyson-Thomas scored a career-high 21 points in SU's win against Lafayette. She improved on that performance in Syracuse's win against Buffalo, scoring a team-high 23 points. Since then she has posted 22 points against Ohio (12/20).
• She is second in the BIG EAST in free throw shooting percentage at .911 (41-45), fourth in offensive rebounds per game (3.7), and fifth in total rebounds per game (8.3).

HALL DISPLAYS ALL-AROUND GAME
• Do-everything junior Elashier Hall has shown her veratility in Syracuse's first 17 contests of the season. Hall is nearly averaging double-figure scoring at 9.1 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds per contest, all while leading the team with 53 assists and is second on the squad in steals (31).
• Hall led the Orange with 19 points against Oklahoma (12/19), going 11-of-13 from the free throw line.

LEARY CLEANING UP THE GLASS
• SU's key post presence of the bench, sophomore Shakeya Leary has posted double figures in rebounds in five contests this season. She led the Orange with 13 rebounds against Long Beach State. Leary also had 10 rebounds against Binghamton, 10 at Boise State (11/29) and 10 vs. Xavier (12/18).
• Leary scored a career-high 14 points, grabbed nine boards and blocked four shots in 16 minutes vs. Coppin State on Dec. 10.
• Leary is averaging 6.8 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game. That equates to 15.6 rebounds per 40 minutes of action.

TAFT RECORDS CAREER HIGH
• Sophomore La'Shay Taft is SU's top guard off the bench, averaging 5.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game. She is coming off 13-point, four-assist game in which she played a career-high 33 minutes at Pitt (1/7).
• Taft sparked the Orange in its victory at Binghamton on Nov. 26. She scored a career-high 22 points and tied her career-best marks in rebounds (4) and assists (3). Taft was 8-for-16 from the floor, including 6-for-13 from three-point range.

COFFEY COMING ON STRONG
• Sophomore Rachel Coffey has started none of the last 10 games at point guard. She is averaging 2.9 points and ranks second on the squad in assists (46). She had a personal-best six-assist game vs. Ohio (12/20).
• Coffey scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-10 3-point shooting in SU's 80-74 loss against Arizona in Hawai'i on Dec. 2. She added six rebounds and three steals in 23 minutes.
• Coffey scored nine points and dished out five assists in Syracuse's win at Binghamton (11/26). She was 3-for-6 for three-point range as SU erased an early eight-point deficit.

100 AND COUNTING
• Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman recorded his 100th career victory in the Orange's win against St. Francis on Nov. 18.
• In five-plus seasons at the helm of the Orange program, Hillsman has guided SU to a record of 110-70 (.611). He became the fastest coach to post 100 wins in school history.
• Barb Jacobs, the winningest coach in school history, recorded her 100th victory in her 189th game. Hillsman ranks third in career wins at SU.

NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER
• Syracuse posted a perfect record in November for the third consecutive year (6-0). The Orange is 23-3 (.885) in November since the 2007-08 campaign. SU's last loss in November was a 58-57 setback against Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 26, 2008.

ORANGE PICKED EIGHTH
• Syracuse was picked eighth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Orange received 123 points. Notre Dame narrowly edged Connecticut as the preseason favorite to win the conference title. The Fighting Irish garnered 219 points, while the Huskies were right behind with 216. Both squads received seven first-place votes. Louisville was picked third, followed by Rutgers, Georgetown, DePaul and St. John's.

ALEXANDER GETS PRESEASON HONOR
• Junior Kayla Alexander was named to the BIG EAST All-BIG EAST Team in a vote by the league's head coaches. Alexander earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors last season after leading the Orange in scoring (14.8 ppg.), blocks (91), field-goal percentage (.549) and free-throw percentage (.766). Her 91 blocked shots led the BIG EAST and set a single-season school record. Alexander posted seven double-doubles last season and led the team in scoring in 15 games.

POST-SEASON SUCCESS
• Syracuse has played in the postseason in each of the last four years. The Orange has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) in each of the past two seasons. SU also participated in the WNIT in 2008-09 after earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2007-08. Five of Syracuse's eight post-season appearances have occurred since head coach Quentin Hillsman took over the reigns of the program in 2006-07.

MORROW BACK WITH ORANGE
• Orange fans will see a familiar face on the Syracuse sidelines this season. Erica Morrow, who graduated last spring as SU's second all-time leading scorer, is back with the program as a graduate student manager for 2011-12. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native is enrolled in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication intensive one-year broadcast journalism graduate program.

UP NEXT
• Syracuse heads to D.C. this weekend to face No. 18 Georgetown in a Sunday contest at noon on ESPNU.

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