#24 Orange Hosts Friars on National Girls & Women in Sport Day

rv/24 Syracuse (17-3, 5-2) vs. Providence (6-14, 1-6)
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 2 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 1 p.m. Carrier Dome \| Tickets \| Directions
Game Coverage	Radio: ESPN 97.7 FM/1200 AM (Brian Higgins), WJPZ 89.1 FM Orange All Access: Watch \| Listen \| Live Stats Twitter: @SyracuseWBB \| @Cuse Facebook: /SyracuseWBB
Syracuse Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats
Providence Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats

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More Information on National Girl and Women in Sport Day

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The RV/24 Syracuse Orange women's basketball team (17-3, 5-2) hosts Providence (6-14, 1-6) on Saturday in a 1 p.m. tip-off at the Carrier Dome.

• Saturday is National Girls and Women in Sport Day, with several activities are planned for the Dome, including an autograph session with the Orange following the game. Several Syracuse's varsity women's athletic teams will be honored, including the Final Four field hockey squad. It will also be Girl Scout Day at the Dome, with troops from throughout Central New York in attendance.
• The Orange is coming off a dominating second-half performance in a 65-34 win at home over Seton Hall on Wednesday. The freshmen duo of Brianna Butler and Brittney Sykes led the way with 14 points each as SU went 9-0 at the Dome.
• Syracuse, ranked No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, has been ranked for three straight weeks, reaching a peak of No. 22 last week, tying its highest ever.

GAME COVERAGE
• All the 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. Saturday's game will also be on WJPZ 89.1 FM.
• Orange All Access at SUAthletics.com will have live video and audio of the game, while SUAthletics.com will also have free live stats.
• As always, follow @SyracuseWBB on Twitter for live in-game updates.

ALEXANDER: SETTING RECORDS
• Senior center Kayla Alexander continues to rewrite the SU record book as she cements herself as one of the greatest players in program history. She becamse SU's all-time leading scorer on Jan. 26 at Villanova, passing Nicole Michael's (2007-10) 1,787 points with a layup at the 1:03 mark of the first half, finishing the game with 1,791.
• After a 13-point effort on Wednesday vs. Seton Hall, she currently sits at 1,804 points.
• Earlier this season, she also became SU's all-time leader in field goals made, free throws made and blocks.
• She has twice been BIG EAST Player of the Week (Nov. 19, Dec. 10).
• Alexander scored a career-high 34 points, single-handedly outscoring Wagner in SU's 66-28 win on Dec. 4. Her night included a Carrier Dome-record 14 field goals made. It was the most points scored in a game by an SU player since Nicole Michael's 36 vs. Binghamton on Nov. 22, 2009.
• Alexander passed Holly Oslander (1989-94) to become Syracuse's all-time blocks leader with eight rejections in the opener vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (11/11). She now has 321 to Oslander's 262.
• Alexander, a two-time All-BIG EAST selection and preseason All-Conference honoree, leads the Orange in scoring (17.9 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocks (3.3 bpg), ranking second, third and first, respectively, in the BIG EAST.

HOT STARTERS
• Syracuse's 17-3 record is tied for the program's best mark ever after 20 games with 2007-08, Quentin Hillsman's second season as head coach. A win over the Friars would set a new program mark, as the 2007-08 squad lost its 21st game.
• In the BIG EAST, Syracuse has already defeated two teams it lost to last year: Georgetown and St. John's.
• SU blitzed through its non-conference slate with 12-1 record, tied for the second-best regular season non-conference record in program history.
• The Orange went 13-0 in regular season non-conference games in 2009-10. This season's 12-1 mark matches 2007-08 and 2010-11.
• The top six non-conference regular seasons have come in Quentin Hillsman's seven seasons as head coach.

DOME SWEET DOME
• Syracuse has a record of 72-31 (.699) in 103 games in the Carrier Dome since moving there full-time in 2006-07.
• SU is a perfect 9-0 at home this season, winning by an average margin of 28.9 points.
• Last season, SU was 9-6. The Orange was nearly unbeatable on its home court in 2010-11, posting a 20-2 record in the Dome.

'CUSE CRACKS TOP 25
• Syracuse is ranked No. 24 in this week's USA TODAY Coaches Poll, its third straight week being ranked.
• Last week, SU was No. 22, tying its highest ranking ever in that poll (Jan. 28, 2008 & Dec. 15, 2009). On Jan. 14, SU was No. 23, its first ranking since Jan. 31, 2011 (No. 25).
• The Orange received six votes in this week's AP poll after spending two straight weeks one spot out of the top 25.

SERIES HISTORY
• Syracuse is 31-20 all-time against Providence in a series that goes back to 1979-80. The Orange has won four straight and is 5-3 under Quentin Hillsman.
• Last season, the teams met twice, once in Providence and once in the BIG EAST Tournament. On March 2 in Hartford, SU used a 17-0 second half run to cruise to a 57-47 first round victory. Kayla Alexander and Iasia Hemingway scored 15 points each for the Orange.
• On Jan. 31, SU set a single-game BIG EAST record by going 23-of-23 at the free throw line en route to a 80-54 victory at Alumni Hall. Hemingway led SU with 24 points, while Shakeya Leary added 15.
• SU is 12-9 all-time at home against the Friars, winning the last meeting at the Dome, 63-47, on Feb. 25, 2011. The Orange was led by Alexander's 18 points, while Hemingway added 14. Erica Morrow scored eight.
• PC's last win in the series came on Jan. 19, 2010 in Providence, 71-69.

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE
• Providence is 6-14 overall, including 1-6 in BIG EAST play. The Friars are coming off a pair of losses to Notre Dame (89-44) and St. John's (65-51).
• The Friars picked up their lone conference win against Villanova, 65-60 in overtime, on Jan. 23.
• The Friars' offense is driven by a duo of 5-7 guards: senior Symone Roberts (14.6 ppg) and sophomore Tori Rule (14.2 ppg). Roberts also leads the team in assists (4.5 apg), while Rule has a team-high 31 3-pointers.
• Senior 6-1 forward Brianna Edwards is the main force inside, averaging 9.2 points and 8.2 rebounds.
• Susan Robinson Fruchtl is in her first season as head coach at Providence after leading St. Francis (Pa.) for five seasons.

LAST TIME OUT
• Freshmen Brianna Butler and Brittney Sykes each scored 14 points to lead Syracuse to a 65-34 victory vs. Seton Hall at the Carrier Dome on Wednesday.
• The Orange held the Pirates to the second fewest points ever allowed by SU in a BIG EAST game. In the 1998-89 season, Syracuse held then conference-foe, No. 21/22 Boston College, to only 30 points in a 73-30 win.
• Both Kayla Alexander and Elashier Hall recorded double-doubles against the Pirates. Alexander scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Hall had 10 points and 14 boards for her second double-double of the season. Her 14 rebounds were not only a team-high but were also tied her career-high.
• Syracuse controlled the paint, out-scoring Seton Hall, 28-18, and out-rebounded the Pirates, 52-35. The Orange held 24-5 advantage in second-chance points, thanks to 17 offensive rebounds.

SYKES HITS "THE SHOT" | Watch
• Freshman Brittney Sykes' steal and half-court shot at the buzzer gave Syracuse an amazing 60-57 victory at St. John's on Jan. 23 at Carnesecca Arena.
• With the scored tied, 57-57, and St. John's inbounding at its offensive end, Sykes stole the ball immediately after the inbounds pass from her former high school teammate, Nadirah McKenith, and shot the ball from 50 feet, just ahead of the buzzer and banked it in for the incredible win.
• Sykes amazing shot received national attention, leading ESPN's SportsCenter and taking No. 1 Play of the Day honors.
• Sykes earned BIG EAST Honor Roll recognition for her efforts in SU's two games last week, averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds.

SYKES EARNING ROOKIE HONORS
• Syracuse guard Brittney Sykes was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week two consecutive weeks on Dec. 31 and Jan. 7.
• The Newark, N.J. native and 2012 McDonald's All-American has come on strong recently, averaging 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds over the last eight games.
• Sykes has scored in double figures in nine out of the last 11 games, averaging 12.9 ppg, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 steals over those 11 contests, after posting 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in the first nine.

DOMINATING THE GLASS
• Dominant rebounding has become the norm for the Orange in recent years. Syracuse is averaging 45.3 rebounds per game, with the most impressive showing being a 61-35 advantage on Nov. 20 at St. Joe's.
• SU leads the BIG EAST in offensive rebounds (18.2), is second in total rebounds per game (45.3) and third in rebounding margin (+8.3).
• Kayla Alexander (862) and Carmen Tyson-Thomas (821) rank fourth and sixth on the Syracuse career rebounding list.
• SU finished second in the NCAA in rebounding in 2011-12, averaging 46.2 per game and ranked 11th in rebounding margin (+8.9).
• Syracuse led the NCAA in rebounding margin in 2010-11 at +13.4 per game. SU outrebounded 31 of its 35 opponents.

MASTER THIEVES
• Syracuse's fullcourt pressure defense and aggressive 2-3 zone in the halfcourt have resulted in the Orange leading the BIG EAST and ranking seventh nationally in steals, averaging 13.0 per game.
• SU set a Carrier Dome record with 21 steals against Boise State on Dec. 30, breaking the old record of 20 on Dec. 14, 2008 vs. Niagara. The program record is 31 (vs. Marist on Jan. 11, 1980).
• SU's thievery has been a balanced effort, with Brittney Sykes (2.1 per game), Carmen Tyson-Thomas (2.0) and Elashier Hall (1.9) leading the way.
• Syracuse's opponents are averaging 21.4 turnovers per game, resulting in a +4.40 turnover margin.

TYSON-THOMAS MAKES IMPACT
• Senior Carmen Tyson-Thomas became the 22nd Orange player to reach the 1,000-point mark in SU's 66-28 win vs. Wagner on Dec. 4. On the season, she is averaging 10.5 points and 5.7 rebounds, second and third on the team, respectively.
• The Philadelphia native recorded her 19th career double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Nov. 20's win at Saint Joseph's. She had a team-high 18 points in her hometown against Temple on Dec. 2.
• The 5-9 swing player recorded double-digit rebounds 12 times in 2011-12. She hauled in a season-high 12 boards on Jan.15 vs. DePaul to go with eight points.

HALL DISPLAYS ALL-AROUND GAME
• Do-everything guard Elashier Hall has been just that for the Orange thus far in 2012-13, averaging 9.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
• She is coming her second double-double of the season, a 10-point, 14-rebound effort vs. Seton Hall that tied her career-high in boards.
• Hall is closing in on becoming the 23rd 1,000-point scorer in program history. She is at 986 points.
• She recently had a career-high tying 23-point effort vs. DePaul on Jan. 15 with six assists and five steals.
• Hall was the star for the Orange in its two wins in Puerto Rico at the San Juan Shootout (11/23-24), recording the fifth double-double of her career with 15 points and 11 rebounds vs. Georgia Tech and poured in 17 points, including the game-winning free throws with .4 seconds left vs. Virginia.
• Despite playing much of the latter half of last season on an injured knee, Hall finished strong, averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in the final four games of the WNIT.

UP NEXT
• Syracuse heads to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats on Tuesday at Fifth Third Arena at 7 p.m.

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#24 Orange Hosts Friars on National Girls & Women in Sport Day

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