Orange Opens At Dome Against FDU

-/RV Syracuse (0-0) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1)
Game Details	Sunday, Nov. 11 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 5 p.m. Carrier Dome \| Tickets \| Directions
Game Coverage	Orange All Access: Watch \| Listen \| Live Stats Twitter: @SyracuseWBB \| @Cuse Facebook: /SyracuseWBB
Syracuse Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats
FDU Links	Roster \| Schedule \| Stats

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The -/rv Syracuse Orange women's basketball team opens the 2012-13 season on Sunday when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1) at the Carrier Dome for a 5 p.m. tip.

• The Orange is coming off a 22-15 season in 2011-12, its third straight season of 22 or more wins, capped off with a four-game road winning streak in the WNIT, reaching to tournament's semfinals for the first time in program history.

• Syracuse returns four starters from a season ago, including All-BIG EAST center Kayla Alexander. Eight of the top nine scorers are back, while a freshman class of five ranked as the sixth-best recruiting class in the country by ESPN joins the ranks.

GAME COVERAGE

• All Orange's games can be heard live on SU's flagship station, ESPN 97.7 FM/1200 AM, and on Orange All-Access at SUathletics.com with Brian Higgins '04 on the call. The games can also be heard on student station WJPZ 89.1 FM.

• Orange All Access at SUAthletics.com will have live video and audio of the game.

FOR OPENERS...

Syracuse is 28-13 (.683) all-time in season debuts, including a 81-42 victory last season against Long Beach State at the Carrier Dome.

• This year's opener is only the fifth time in the last 20 seasons that SU has begun the year at home, but the fourth consecutive year.

• The Orange is 5-1 in its season debuts under seventh-year head coach Quentin Hillsman. SU lost at Penn State, 71-46, in Hillsman's first game at the helm of the program, but has gone 5-0 since. SU has defeated Coppin State (69-65), Siena (89-75), Fairleight Dickinson (65-45), Northeastern (72-60) and Long Beach State (81-42) in its last four season openers.

ORANGE PICKED SEVENTH

• Syracuse has been picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST in the annual women's basketball preseason coaches' poll, announced at the conference's media day on Oct. 18 at the New York Athletic Club. The Orange finished 6-10 last season (T-10th).

• Connecticut was chosen to finish first in the conference, followed by Notre Dame, Louisville, St. John's, Rutgers, DePaul and the Orange. Georgetown was picked eighth, with USF ninth and Villanova rounding out the top 10.

'CUSE GETS VOTES

• Syracuse received votes in the Preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll announced on Oct. 30, the first time the Orange received votes since the Dec. 5, 2011 poll.

• The Orange received votes in the first five weeks of the coaches poll last season.

DOME SWEET DOME

• Syracuse has a record of 63-31 (.670) in the Carrier Dome since moving there full-time in 2006-07.

• Last season, SU was 9-6 in the Dome.

• The Orange was nearly unbeatable on its home court in 2010-11, posting a 20-2 record in the Dome.

NON-CONFERENCE HOME STREAK

• Syracuse has won 47 non-conference home games in a row, dating back to the 2006-07 season, Quentin Hillsman's first season as head coach at SU. He is 49-5 in his career in such games.

• The Orange went 6-0 last season in out-of-conference play at the Dome.

• SU's last non-conference home loss was on Dec. 22, 2006 to Canisius (56-43).

• In 2010-11 SU was 14-0, 12-0 in 2009-10, 8-0 in 2008-09, and 7-0 in 2007-08.

SCOUTING FDU

• Fairleigh Dickinson, located in Teaneck, N.J., is coming off a 13-18 season in which it 8-10 in he Northeast Conference, good for eighth-place. It opened this season on Friday, losing at Siena, 76-56.

• The Knights return four starters from last season's squad, including 5-11 redshirt junior guard Danielle Pankey (10.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg). The Knights' sixth-man from last season, 6-1 forward Erika Livermore (10.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg) returns as well.

• Gone from last season is top scorer Mariyah Laury (17.3 ppg, 2.7 apg).

• Pete Cinella is in his six th season as head coach. The 1990 Western New England alum is 59-91 in his career.

• Assistant coach Ashley Cieplicki is the niece of former Syracuse head coach Keith Cieplicki (2003-06).

WHAT THE ORANGE RETURNS

• Syracuse returns four starters and eight of its top nine scorers from last season. In all, the Orange has 77 percent of its scoring and 85 percent of its rebounding back from last season's 22-win team.

• The top returning scorer is senior center and Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Kayla Alexander (14.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.6 bpg).

• SU's top rebounder from last year, Carmen Tyson-Thomas (10.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg) returns for her senior campaign.

• Rounding out the three returning starting seniors from is Elashier Hall (8.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.9 apg).

• Now a junior, point guard Rachel Coffey (5.6 ppg, 3.2 apg) had a breakout season in 2011-12, becoming the Orange's top outside shooting threat (.362 3fg pct.).

• SU also brings back four players that saw significant minutes off the bench, and in some cases started games, in 2011-12: Phylesha Bullard (2.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg), Shakeya Leary (4.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg), La'Shay Taft (3.9 ppg) and Shanee Williams (2.3 ppg).

WHAT'S LOST

• Syracuse lost just one starter and two total seniors from last season.

• Iasia Hemingway was SU's top scorer last year at 14.9 ppg, eighth in the BIG EAST, and averaged 6.4 rebounds per game. THe All-BIG EAST selection scored 997 of her 1,622 career points at SU.

• Troya Berry (1.4 ppg) saw action in 23 games, serving as a reliable post player for the Orange.

WHAT'S NEW

• Quentin Hillsman welcomes a five-member freshman class in 2012-13: Brianna Butler (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Cornelia Fondren (Memphis, Tenn.), Taylor Ford (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Pachiyanna Roberts (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Brittney Sykes (Newark, N.J.).

• ESPN Hoopgurlz ranked the class as the sixth-best in the country including two McDonald's All-Americans (Butler, Sykes).

• Butler, a 5-11 guard, also took Parade All-American honors after leading Nazareth (N.Y.) NYC No. 1 and national No. 3 ranking. She was ranked as the No. 13 overall player and No. 4 guard in the class by ESPN.

• Fondren, a 5-8 point guard, led Overton High to back-to-back Memphis city titles, averaging 13 points, five rebounds and six assists as a senior.

• Ford, a 6-0 forward, played with Butler at Nazareth and for the Exodus AAU team.

• Roberts, a 5-11 forward, was a multiple-sport star at McEachern High, earning Parade All-American honors and Miss Georgia Basketball after averaging 17.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.8 steals while going 33-0.

• Sykes, a member of the U.S. U19 National Team, averaged 18.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists as a senior at University High, earning McDonald's and USA TODAY All-American honors.

UP NEXT
• The Orange hits the road next, playing at Maine on Tuesday in a 7 p.m. tip at Alfond Arena.

Syracuse University Athletics

Related News

Next Event

Related Videos