#23 Orange & Owls Clash at Dome

No. 23/rv Syracuse (8-1) vs. Temple (5-2)
Game Details	Monday, Dec. 16 \| 7 p.m. ET \| Syracuse, N.Y. Carrier Dome (35,121) \| Tickets \| Directions
Game Coverage	Watch: Orange All Access Radio: ESPN 97.7/100.1 FM & 1200 AM \| Orange All-Access Live Stats Twitter: @CuseWBB \| @cuse
Syracuse Links	Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Game Notes
Temple Links	Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Game Notes

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The No. 23 Syracuse women's basketball team (8-1) returns home to begin a three-game homestand on Monday when it hosts Temple (5-2) at the Carrier Dome in a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Orange, ranked in the AP top 25 for the third week in a row, meets the Owls for the fourth time in program history, owning a 2-1 record.

GAME COVERAGE

• All the Orange's games can be heard live on SU's flagship station, ESPN 97.7/100.7 FM and 1200 AM, and on Orange All-Access at SUAthletics.com with Brian Higgins '04 on the call. Free live stats are also available at SUathletics.com.

• The game can be watched live online on Orange All Access at SUathletics.com.

• As always, follow @CuseWBB on Twitter for live in-game updates.

HOT START TO '13-14

• Syracuse is 8-1 for the sixth time in program history and third time in the last four years under head coach Quentin Hillsman. The Orange started the 1974-75 and 2009-10 seasons 9-0.

• The longest undefeated run to start a season was in 2009-10 when SU started 12-0 on its way to 25-11.

AN ORANGE WIN WOULD...

• ...make Syracuse 9-1 after 10 games for the third time in the last four seasons and fifth time overall. It has been 10-0 twice (2009-10 and 1974-75).

• ...give Syracuse five wins against BCS conference teams this none-conference season.

• ...make SU 3-1 all-time against Temple, and 1-0 at the Carrier Dome vs. the Owls.

• ...make SU 39-7 (.848) in Dec. games since 2007-08.

SCOUTING TEMPLE

• The Owls are 5-2 on the season after winning at Montana on Saturday, 61-52, before flying directly to Syracuse for Monday's game. Temple's other wins have been at La Salle, at Delaware and vs. Oakland. Its losses were vs. No. 21/18 Michigan State and vs. Saint Joseph's.

• Freshman guard Feyonda Fitzgerald (14.6) leads a balanced Temple scoring attack that features four players averaging double figures.

• Junior guard Tyonna Williams ranks second in the American Athletic Conference in assists with 5.3 per game, while scoring 11.7 points per game.
• Graduate student 5-10 guard Shi-Heria Shipp is the Owls top rebounder at 8.3 rebounds per game to go with 11.7 ppg. She is coming off a 17-point, 16-rebound performance at Montana on Saturday.

SERIES HISTORY

• Syracuse is 2-1 all-time against Temple, with the Owls winning the most recent meeting last season.

• Second-half runs of 12-0 and 16-3 erased a 14-point Syracuse lead and gave Temple a 74-67 comeback victory over the Orange (7-1) on Dec. 2, 2012 at McGonigle Hall. Victoria Macauley scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half to lead the Owls comeback. Syracuse was led by 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting by Philadelphia native Carmen Tyson-Thomas. Fellow seniors Kayla Alexander and Elashier Hall added 12 points each, while Rachel Coffey had her first-career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 10 assists.

• The last meeting before that was eight monthes earlier as the Orange defeated the Owls, 82-68, in the WNIT third round at McGonigle Hall on March 22, 2012. Kayla Alexander scored 17 of her game-high 29 points in the second half and grabbed 10 boards. Carmen Tyson-Thomas also had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Shey Peddy led TU with 20 points.

• In the first meeting between the schools, SU defeated the Owls, 75-74, on Jan. 10, 1981 at the McGill-Martlet Tournament in Montreal, Quebec.

NOVEMBERS TO REMEMBER

• Syracuse went 8-0 in the month of November this season, its fifth-straight undefeated opening month of the season. The Orange's November winning streak is now at 32 games.

• Since 2007, Syracuse is 37-3 (.925) in November. It has not lost since Nov. 26, 2008 at Alaska-Anchorage, 58-57.

IN THE POLLS

• Syracuse moved up two spots in this week's Associated Press Top 25, ranking 23rd with 120 points. In the most recent USA TODAY Coaches Poll, SU fell from No. 25 to the top "receiving votes" team with 43 points.

• The Orange debuted in the AP poll on Dec. 2 at No. 22 with 132 points, just one spot from its all-time program-high. It had received just one vote the previous week. Last week it was 25th.

• SU was ranked No. 22 in both the final AP and USA TODAY Coaches polls last season. It was ranked for seven-straight weeks in the AP poll and 10-straight weeks in the coaches poll, both program records.

LAST TIME OUT

• Melissa Dixon scored 27 points, all in the second half on 7-of-10 3-point shooting, to lead No. 25 Iowa (9-1) to a 97-91 comeback win over No. 22 Syracuse in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 5.

• The Orange led by as many as 14 in the first half and 10 at halftime, but the Hawkeyes used hot shooting to score 60 points in the second half to win the game that featured eight lead changes.

• Brittney Sykes led Syracuse with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and added 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and third of the sophomore guard's career. Rachel Coffey added 14 points and a team-high seven assists, while Brianna Butler (12) and Briana Day (10) rounded out the four Orange in double figures.

UP NEXT

• Syracuse continues its three-game home stretch on Thursday when Niagara comes to the Dome for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

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