Orange At JMU For WNIT Semis

Syracuse at James Madison
Game Details	Wednesday, March 28 \| Harrisonburg, Va. \| 7 p.m. JMU Convocation Center \| WNIT Bracket
Game Coverage	TV: None Video: Madizone Radio: ESPN 97.7 FM/1200 AM, WJPZ 89.1 FM Orange All Access: Audio \| Live Stats Twitter: @SyracuseWBB @Cuse
Syracuse Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule
JMU Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - After four-straight road wins to advance to the program's first WNIT semifinal, Syracuse women's basketball (22-14) will travel to Harrisonburg, Va. to take on James Madison (28-7) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the JMU Convocation Center.
• SU opened its postseason run with a 59-42 win at Hartford on March 16 before winning at Drexel, 65-43, on March 19, at Temple, 82-68, on Thursday, and at Toledo, 74-73, in overtime on Saturday, avenging last season's OT loss to the Rockets in the same round of the tournament.
• The winner of this game will face the winner of the other semifinal, featuring Oklahoma State and San Diego, on Saturday at a site to be determined.

GAME COVERAGE
• All SU 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.
• Links to free video and live stats will be available at SUathletics.com.

'CUSE IN THE WNIT
• Syracuse is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the Women's National Invitation Tournament and fifth postseason appearance in a row (NCAA in 2008).
• SU is 11-3 all-time in the WNIT and has advanced to at least the quarterfinals three seasons in a row, winning three games in 2010 and 2011, and four this season.
• In 2011, SU beat Monmouth (77-53), St. Bonaventure (63-50) and Eastern Michigan (72-63) at home before losing to eventual-champion Toledo in overtime on the road, 71-68.
• In 2010, SU beat Harvard (87-68), Richmond (69-55) and Virginia Commonwealth (74-59) before falling to Michigan (78-52).
• In 2009, the Orange went 1-1 in its first NIT appearance ever, beating Canisius (90-65) at the Carrier Dome for the program's first-ever postseason victory. SU then lost at Bowling Green, 72-69, in the second round.

ORANGE ROAD SHOW
• Syracuse has won four consecutive away games for the first time in 22 years. Between Dec. 12, 1990 and Jan. 10, 1991, SU won five straight road games.
• The Orange's 10-4 record on the road is the best in program history in terms of wins, surpassing seven, done most recently in 2007-08, and is the best in terms of winning percentage (.714) since 1978-79 (7-1, .875).
• SU averages 68.7 points while allowing 61.1 for +7.6 margin on the opposition's court this season. In the four WNIT games, that gap has grown to +13.5 (70.0-56.5).
• Syracuse is the only one of the four WNIT semifinalists that has played more than two games on the road. San Diego hosted its first two before playing the last two on the road while JMU and Oklahoma State have hosted every round thus far.

SERIES HISTORY
• The only other time these two programs have played was a 56-50 James Madison victory at the Carrier Classic on Dec. 4, 1993.

SCOUTING JAMES MADISON
• The Dukes are 28-7 overall and went 14-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
• The Dukes defeated Virginia, 68-59, in the quarterfinal round after wins over Davidson (64-49), Wake Forest (84-76 OT) and USF (72-45) in the previous rounds. JMU has hosted every round of the WNIT.
• It will be a battle of excellent rebounding teams as the Orange ranks second in the country at 46.1 rebounds per game and JMU ranks sixth at 45.3 per contest.
• JMU beat George Mason in the CAA tournament before falling to Drexel, SU's WNIT second round opponent, 67-50, in the conference semifinals.
• Drexel and USF are the only common opponents shared by the teams. The Dukes went 1-2 against the Dragons, losing 60-43 at home and winning in overtime, 56-51, in the regular season before the tourney loss.
• Tarik Hislop leads the Dukes in scoring at 14.8 points per game and has dished out a team-high 121 assists.
• Kirby Burkholder scores 11.4 ppg, hauls in 6.9 rebounds per game and has hit 86 3-pointers at a 32.6 percent clip.
• Kenny Brooks is in his 10th season as head coach. He has led the Dukes to seven-straight postseason tournament appearances, including three NCAA berths.

SU DOWNS ROCKETS IN QUARTERFINALS
• After Rachel Coffey buried a three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, SU hit big free throws in the extra five minutes to help the Orange outlast Toledo (24-10) in the WNIT quarterfinals in front of 4,013 at Savage Arena, 74-73, on Saturday.
• UT led 64-61 with 16 seconds left in the second half, but the Orange hustled the ball up the floor for a Coffey fade-away three pointer from the left side. Coffey had a career-high 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting (6-of-8 from three point range) as the Orange ended a UT streak of 10 straight postseason wins at home.
• During the extra session, the Orange shot 8-of-12 from the charity stripe. Iasia Hemingway (18 points, seven rebounds) led Syracuse with an 8-9 showing from the line.

ORANGE CAGES OWLS
• Kayla Alexander's 29 points led four Orange players in double figures as Syracuse defeated Temple 82-68 in the third round on March 22 at McGonigle Hall. Alexander scored 17 of her points in the second half as SU advances to play at Toledo in the quarterfinals of the tournament for the second straight season.
• Alexander, who moved into eighth place on Syracuse's all-time scoring list (1,418) on Thursday, also tied a SU postseason record for points in a game, and set new marks for field goals made (12) and blocks (six) while Rachel Coffey set a new program postseason record with eight assists, a career-best.
• Despite being outrebounded, 43-42, SU dominated inside with 42 points in the paint.

SYRACUSE SLAYS DRAGONS
• Syracuse used a 21-2 run and held Drexel without a point for nearly six minutes down the stretch to knock off the Dragons (19-14) on March 19 at Daskalakis Athletic Center in the second round of the WNIT, 65-43.
• With the victory, the Orange reaches the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season, and fifth time in the past six seasons.
• Syracuse had four players reach double-figures, led by Kayla Alexander's 16 points and 11 rebounds. Philadelphia native Carmen Tyson-Thomas also recorded a double-double, her eighth of the season, with 13 points and a game-high 12 boards in her first start in seven games.

WNIT OPENING WIN AT HARTFORD
• Leading by six at halftime, Syracuse came out of the break on a 16-3 run to knock off Hartford (19-13) in the first round of the WNIT on March 16 at Chase Family Arena, 59-42.
• All nine SU players entered the scoring column as Syracuse shot 20-of-53 from the floor, led by 12 points from Rachel Coffey. The Orange also turned 22 Hartford turnovers into 26 points. The Hawks were 14-of-52 (27%) for the game.
• The win was the Orange's first on the road in postseason play in program history.

DOMINATING THE GLASS
• Dominant rebounding has become the norm for the Orange in recent years. Syracuse ranks second in the NCAA in rebounding, averaging 46.1 per game and ranks 12th in rebounding margin (+9.1).
• In the BIG EAST, SU leads the conference in rebounds per game (46.1), offensive rebounds (20.0) and is third in rebounding margin (+9.1).
• SU has three of the top 15 rebounders in the league (7. Carmen Tyson-Thomas, 7.8; 10. Kayla Alexander, 7.3; and 15. Iasia Hemingway, 6.3.
• 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 ranking third in the NCAA in free throws made (610) and fourth in free throws attempted (809).
• Syracuse ranks third in the BIG EAST and 24th nationally in free throw shooting percentage at .754.
• Iasia Hemingway has set program records in free throws made (199) and attempted (252) and ranks fourth and fifth, respectively, in the NCAA.
• Carmen Tyson-Thomas leads the Orange with a .850 mark from the free throw line this season.
• The Orange set a BIG EAST record for most free throws made without in a miss in a game at Providence (1/31) when it went 23-of-23.
• On Jan. 7 at Pitt, The Orange went 34-of-38 (.895) at the line, including 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 (14.9 ppg.) and second-leading rebounder (7.3 rpg.) this season. She ranks 11th in the BIG EAST in scoring and 10th in rebounding. She also leads the conference in blocked shots (92 total, 2.6 per game).
• Alexander has scored 1,422 points in 107 career games. The junior passed Martha Mogish (1978-81) for fifth in SU history on Thursday at Temple with a 29-point explosion.
• 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 in 2009-10.
• WIth 92 blocks this season, she broke her own single-season program record of 91 set last year.
• Alexander is second on Syracuse's career blocked shot list with 252 after passing Vaida Sipaviciute (2005-08) with eight rejections vs. Georgetown (2/25).
• Alexander is second on SU's career free throws made list at 396. She now trails Nicole Michael (2007-10) by 29 for the most in SU history.

HEMINGWAY SPARKS ORANGE
• Senior Iasia Hemingway has reached double figures in scoring in 27 of 36 games this season and reached the 30-point mark three times. She leads the team in scoring (14.9 ppg), ranking eighth in the BIG EAST, and averages 6.3 rebounds (15th in the BIG EAST).
• Hemingway played the first two years of her career at Georgia Tech before transferring to SU. She scored her 1,500th career point in a 20-point, 15-rebound, 6-assist performance vs. Georgetown (2/25) on Senior Day. 981 of her 1,606 points have come in her two seasons at SU.
• 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.

TYSON-THOMAS MAKES IMPACT
• Junior Carmen Tyson-Thomas ranks third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg.) and leads the club in rebounding at 7.8 per game, seventh in the BIG EAST, 3.7 of which come at the offensive end, fourth-best in the conference.
• Tyson-Thomas has come on strong in the WNIT, averaging 11.3 points and 9.5 rebounds, half of which have come at the offensive end.
• Tyson-Thomas had back-to-back double-double performances at Drexel and Temple, averaging 14 points and 11.5 rebounds. She has nine double-doubles on the season and 18 in her career.
• The versatile swing player stuffed the stat sheet in a win at No. 21/18 DePaul (2/21) with 22 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, five steals and four assists.

HALL DISPLAYS ALL-AROUND GAME
• Do-everything junior Elashier Hall has shown her versatility this season, averaging 8.4 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds per contest, all while ranking second on the team with 108 assists and 65 steals.
• She is coming off three-straight 11-point efforts at Drexel, Temple and Toledo.
• Hall had 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and hit a key 3-pointer in the final minute of SU's comeback win at Seton Hall (1/22).
• 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 off the bench, sophomore Shakeya Leary is averaging 5.8 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game. That equates to 15.0 rebounds per 40 minutes of action.
• Leary scored eight consecutive points in the Orange's 17-0 second-half run in the BIG EAST Tournament win vs. Providence. She finished the game with 12 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes.
• 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 15 points in 19 minutes at Providence (1/31).

BULLARD COMING ON STRONG
• Sophomore wing Phylesha Bullard has become one of the Orange's key players in the latter portion of the season. After averaging 1.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.9 minutes over the first 20 games, she is averaging 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per contest in SU's last 16 games, including eight starts.
• Bullard scored six points and grabbed five rebounds vs. No. 3 UConn (1/25), and then tied a career-high with eight points vs. Cincinnati (1/28) and set a new career-nest with seven rebounds.

COFFEY RUNNING THE POINT
• Sophomore point guard Rachel Coffey has been the catalyst for SU this postseason. She is averaging a team-best 13.3 points and 5.5 assists per game in the WNIT, along with 48 percent shooting from 3-point range (11-23).
• Coffey ended the regular season on fire from the outside, shooting 24-of-52 (.462) from 3-point range in the last 10 games of the regular season, while averaging 3.2 assists per game in that stretch.
• She scored a career-high 23 points with a program postseason record six 3-pointers at Toledo and also had an 8-assist performance at Temple, also setting an SU postseason record.
• Coffey had a career game at No. 21/18 DePaul on Feb. 21, setting then-career-highs in points (22), rebounds (8), assists (7), and 3-pointers (6).
• Coffey has started 26 games in a row at point guard. She is averaging 5.6 points and leads the squad in assists with 114 (3.2 per game).

TWO McDONALD'S ALl-AMERICANS
• Syracuse NLI signees Brianna Butler (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Brittney Sykes (Newark, N.J.) were two of 24 high school seniors named 2012 McDonald's All-Americans on Feb 9.
• They are the third and fourth SU signees to have garnered the honor, and the first time the Orange has had multiple McDonald's All-Americans in the same class.
• Erica Morrow (2007) and Juanita Ward (2005) are the only other Syracuse players to be named McDonald's All-Americans.
• Connecticut (3), Baylor (2), Duke (2), Notre Dame (2) and Texas A&M (2) were the only other programs with multiple signees named to the teams.

SU SIGNS No. 6 RECRUITING CLASS
• Quentin Hillsman announced on Nov. 10 five National Letter of Intent signings for the 2012 recruiting class: 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 ranks SU's signing class as the sixth-best in the country with three top 100 recruits, highlighted by No. 13 overall Butler, a 6-0 combo guard, and No. 30 overall Sykes, a 5-9 combo guard.

100 AND COUNTING
• Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman is coaching in his 200th career game.
• 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 120-79 (.603). 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 second to her (229) in career wins at SU.

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