#21 Orange Hosts Rutgers at the Dome

21/21 Syracuse (21-3, 9-2) vs. Rutgers (14-10, 5-6)
Game Details	Tuesday, Feb. 19\| Syracuse, N.Y. \| 7 p.m. Carrier Dome \| Tickets \| Directions
Game Coverage	TV: CBS Sports Network Radio: ESPN 97.7 FM/1200 AM (Brian Higgins), WJPZ 89.1 FM Orange All Access: Listen \| Live Stats Twitter: @SyracuseWBB \| @Cuse Facebook: /SyracuseWBB
Syracuse Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats
Rutgers Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats

The No. 23/21 Syracuse Orange women's basketball team (21-3, 9-2) hosts Rutgers (14-10, 5-6) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.
• Syracuse has its best record in program history through 24 games and has its best record through 11 conference games in 25 years.
• SU's 9-2 BIG EAST record places it third in the conference standings behind Notre Dame (12-0) and Connecticut (11-1) a half-game ahead of Louisville (9-3).
• The Orange is coming off 80-39 victory vs. Pittsburgh on Saturday, running its record to a perfect 11-0 at the Carrier Dome.
• Syracuse is ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll, tying its highest ranking ever (Feb. 11, 2008) and is also No. 21 in the latest USA TODAY Coaches Polls.

GAME COVERAGE
• The game is being televised on CBS Sports Network with Brent Stover and Debbi Antonelli on the call (channels 242 and 815 on Syracuse Time Warner Cable).
• 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.
• SUAthletics.com will have links to live video, audio and free live stats links.
• As always, follow @SyracuseWBB on Twitter for live in-game updates.

AN ORANGE WIN WOULD...
• ...snap SU's three-game skid against Rutgers.
• ...make SU a perfect 12-0 at home this season.
• ...make SU 22-3 for the first time in program history, three games better than the previous best through 25 games, 19-6 in 1980-81 and 2007-08.
• ...give SU 22 or more wins in four straight seasons under Quentin Hillsman and fifth time in the last six years.
• ...make SU 10-2 in BIG EAST play for the third time in program history and first time in 25 years, tying the school record set in 1985-86 and 1987-88.
• ...deny Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer her 900^th career victory. She is making her third attempt at joining SU men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim as the seventh men's or women's coach to reach the mark.

BEST START IN PROGRAM HISTORY
• Syracuse's 21-3 record is the program's best ever after 24 games, surpassing 2007-08, Quentin Hillsman's second season as head coach, when it was 19-5.
• In the BIG EAST, Syracuse's 9-2 mark is its best since having the same record after 11 games in 1987-88 and 1985-86.
• 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.

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 became 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 scoring 19 points on Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh, she currently sits at 1,873 career points, third-most among active BIG EAST players (Sugar Rodgers - 2,369, Skylar Diggins - 2,131).
• Alexander had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the last week's win over the Hoyas for her ninth double-double of the season and 28th of her career, the most of any active BIG EAST player.
• 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) and four times to the weekly honor roll.
• 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 338 to Oslander's 262.
• Alexander, a two-time All-BIG EAST selection and preseason All-Conference honoree, leads the Orange in scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg) and blocks (3.4 bpg), ranking second, third and first, respectively, in the BIG EAST.

'CUSE CRACKS TOP 25
• Syracuse is ranked No. 21 in this week's AP top 25 poll, tying its highest ranking ever. SU was also No. 21 on Feb. 11, 2008. This is the Orange's third straight week being ranked.
• SU is also ranked No. 21 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, its highest ranking ever in that poll and its fifth straight week being ranked.

DOME SWEET DOME
• SU has a record of 74-31 (.705) in 105 games in the Carrier Dome since moving there full-time in 2006-07.
• SU is a perfect 11-0 at home this season, winning by an average margin of 28.8 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.

SERIES HISTORY
• Syracuse is 6-32 all-time against the Scarlet Knights, but three of those wins have come in Quentin Hillsman's previous six seasons as head coach.
• Rutgers has won three in a row over the Orange, last season's meeting in N.J. and two regular season games in 2011-12, one on each home court.
• Syracuse won three in a row over Rutgers over the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.
• In last season's meeting at the RAC on Jan., 3, 2012, The No. 10 Scarlet Knights used an 11-1 second-half run to defeat SU, 55-44. Iasia Hemingway led SU with 14 points. April Sykes led RU with 14 points as well.
• Last time the teams played in the Dome, RU built a 17-point first half lead before winning, 78-67, on Jan. 11, 2011. Monique Oliver scored 27 for RU, while Elashier Hall led the Orange with 23.

SCOUTING RUTGERS
• Rutgers is 14-10 overall, including a 5-6 mark in BIG EAST play. The Scarlet Knights have lost two straight, at DePaul (60-57) on Feb. 12 and vs. No. 3 UConn (65-45) on Saturday that followed three straight wins over Marquette, Villanova and Cincinnati.
• Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer comes into the game with 899 career wins over 42 seasons. She is attempting to become the seventh coach, men's or women's, to reach 900 wins.
• Senior 6-2 center Monique Oliver leads the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game and is shooting 53 percent from the field.
• Senior 5-7 guard Erica Wheeler (9.9 ppg) is second on the team in scoring and leads the club with 37 3-pointers, while 6-0 sophomore forward Betnijah Laney is scoring 9.3 points per game.
• Rutgers like to keep the game low-scoring. It is 13th in the BIG EAST in scoring (56.9 ppg), while being third in scoring defense (53.0 ppg).

LAST TIME OUT
• Kayla Alexander scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked seven shots to lead Syracuse to a dominating 80-39 victory vs. Pittsburgh in front of 1,355 on Play 4 Kay Day at the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon.
• La'Shay Taft went 3-of-4 from behind the arc for the second straight game and finished with 11 points, while Carmen Tyson-Thomas (10) and Brittney Sykes (10) rounded out four Orange in double figures.
• The Orange used its up-tempo pressure defense to cause 23 Pitt turnovers, turning them into 27 points, while committing a season-low nine turnovers itself. SU held a 22-0 advantage in fast-break points and put its depth on display, receiving 35 points (44 percent) off the bench.

DOMINATING THE GLASS
• Dominant rebounding has become the norm for the Orange in recent years. Syracuse is averaging 44.6 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 (44.6) and third in rebounding margin (+7.0).
• Kayla Alexander (896) and Carmen Tyson-Thomas (846) rank fourth and fifth 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.

THE ORANGE ZONE
• When people think 2-3 zone, they think Syracuse, and the women's program is adding to that lore in 2012-13. The Orange is holding its opponents to the second-lowest shooting percentage in the BIG EAST (.343).
• The Orange is also proving wrong the myth that zone teams are susceptible to 3-point shooting. SU is holding its opponents to the worst 3-point shooting percentage in the league (.263).

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 third nationally in steals, averaging 13.6 per game.
• SU is coming off a week in which it had a 18-steal effort at Georgetown on Tuesday in which it forced 27 Hoya turnovers, and a 14-steal game vs. Pitt on Saturday.
• SU set a Carrier Dome record for the second time this season, recording 22 steals vs. Providence on Feb. 2, breaking the mark of 21 steals against Boise State on Dec. 30. The Dome record prior to this season was 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 Elashier Hall (2.3), Brittney Sykes (2.2 per game) and Carmen Tyson-Thomas (1.8) leading the way.
• Syracuse's opponents are averaging 21.9 turnovers per game, resulting in a +5.21 turnover margin.

UP NEXT
• Syracuse heads to Tampa, Fla. to face USF on Saturday in a 2 p.m. tip at the Sun Dome. The game will be televised on the BIG EAST Network.

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