#24 Orange Women Head to Cincinnati

RV/24 Syracuse (18-3, 6-2) at Cincinnati (8-13, 0-8)
Game Details	Tuesday, Feb. 5 \| Cincinnati, Ohio \| 7 p.m. Fifth Third Arena \| Tickets \| Directions
Game Coverage	Radio: ESPN 97.7 FM/1200 AM (Brian Higgins), WJPZ 89.1 FM Orange All Access: Listen Bearcats TV: Watch \| Live Stats Twitter: @SyracuseWBB \| @Cuse Facebook: /SyracuseWBB
Syracuse Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats
Cincinnati Links	Game Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The RV/24 Syracuse Orange women's basketball team (18-3, 6-2) travels to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats (8-13, 0-8) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena.
• Syracuse has its best record in program history through 21 games and is tied for its second-best ever start in BIG EAST play.
• The Orange is coming off a pair of dominating victories at home last week, beating Seton Hall on Wednesday, 65-34, and topping Providence, 75-59, on Saturday, running SU's perfect record at the Carrier Dome to 10-0.
• Syracuse, ranked No. 24 in the Jan. 29 USA TODAY Coaches Poll, has been ranked for three straight weeks, reaching a peak of No. 22 last week, tying its highest ever.
• Senior guard Elashier Hall enters Tuesday's game three points shy of 1,000 in her career. She would become the 23rd 1,000-point scorer in SU history.

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.
• SUAthletics.com will have live video, audio and free live stats links.
• 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 14-point effort on Saturday vs. Providence, she currently sits at 1,818 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 325 to Oslander's 262.
• Alexander, a two-time All-BIG EAST selection and preseason All-Conference honoree, leads the Orange in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocks (3.3 bpg), ranking third, third and first, respectively, in the BIG EAST.

BEST START IN PROGRAM HISTORY
• Syracuse's 18-3 record is the program's best ever after 21 games, surpassing 2007-08, Quentin Hillsman's second season as head coach, when SU was 17-4. A win over the Bearcats would keep SU a game ahead of '07-08's pace.
• 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.

ORANGE ROAD SHOW
• The Orange is a combined 8-3 in away and neutral site games this season.
• Syracuse opened the season by playing seven of eight games away from the Carrier Dome, going 6-1, including 4-1 on the opponent's court. SU's 4-0 away-game record in November was the best among all BCS conference teams, ahead of Arkansas (3-0) and Arizona (3-0). Its 6-0 record in neutral-site and away games combined was also the best among major conference teams.
• Going back to last season, SU played 15 out of 16 away from home between the regular season finale on Feb. 27 and this season's eighth game on Dec. 2.
• The Orange's 10-5 record on the road in 2011-12 was the best in program history in terms of wins and is the best in terms of winning percentage (.667) since 1978-79 (7-1, .875).
• In last season's WNIT, Syracuse won four consecutive away games for the first time in 22 years.

'CUSE CRACKS TOP 25
• Syracuse is ranked No. 24 in the Jan. 29 USA TODAY Coaches Poll, its third straight week being ranked.
• SU was No. 22 the previous week, 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.

HOME AGAIN
• Tuesday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for two members of the Orange. Junior guard Phylesha Bullard and director of video services Kornell Battle are both Cincinnati natives. Bullard starred at Walnut Hills High School, leaving in 2010 as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,219 points. She led Walnut Hills to three straight undefeated league seasons, going 30-0. Bullard took Conference Player of the Year and All-City honors as both a junior and a senior. Battle was a standout at Greenhills High School, now known as Winton Woods High School.

SERIES HISTORY
• Syracuse is 4-5 all-time against Cincinnati. The teams first met in the 1982-83 season, played again in the 2001-02 season, and have met every season since 2005-06 when the Bearcats joined the BIG EAST. The Orange is 3-3 under Quentin Hillsman.
• The Orange is 3-1 all-time at CIncinnati.
• Last season, SU erased a 10-point second half deficit to take a one-point lead, but Bjonee Reaves hit a shot with 2.5 seconds left to beat the Orange, 55-54, on Jan. 28 at the Carrier Dome. Iasia Hemingway led SU with 12 points, while Kayla Cooke led UC with 14. SU was 0-of-9 from 3-point range.
• SU's last win in the series was also the last time the teams played at Fifth Third Arena, on Feb. 22, 2011. The Orange overcame a 19-point deficit that came after UC started the game with a 20-5 run, to win 55-53. Kayla Alexander led SU with 18 points.

SCOUTING CINCINNATI
• Cincinnati is 8-13 overall, including 0-8 in BIG EAST play. The Bearcats are 6-5 at home.
• The Bearcats come into the game having lost eight in a row, all conference games after winning its non-conference finale vs. Long Island, 59-48, on Dec. 30 in Hawaii. Their last win at home was on Dec. 21, 68-54, over Belmont.
• Dynamic 5-6 guard Dayeesha Hollins leads Cincinnati in scoring at 14.9 ppg and is shooting 31 percent from 3-point range (21-67). The Michigan transfer was a second team All-BIG EAST selection last season.
• Though they are scoring a league-worst 52.7 points per game, the Bearcats are holding opponents to under 60 points per contest (58.0).
• Jamelle Elliott (Connecticut '96) is in her fourth season as head coach. UC was 16-16 last season.

LAST TIME OUT
• Carmen Tyson-Thomas led Syracuse with 15 points and nine rebounds in a 75-59 victory against Providence at the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon.
• Senior Elashier Hall scored 11 points, giving her 997 career points, while senior Kayla Alexander notched 14 points and seven rebounds in the triumph.
• The Orange used an 11-0 run to start the second half to pull away, eventually leading by as many as 28 with 13 minutes to go.
• SU set a Carrier Dome record with 22 steals as it scored 29 points off 27 PC turnovers.

SYKES HITS "THE SHOT"
• 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 the week of Jan. 21-27, 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 13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds over the last nine games.
• Sykes has scored in double figures in nine out of the last 12 games, averaging 12.4 ppg, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 steals over those 12 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 (18.3), is second in total rebounds per game (45.3) and third in rebounding margin (+8.5).
• Kayla Alexander (869) and Carmen Tyson-Thomas (830) 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 eighth nationally in steals, averaging 13.4 per game.
• 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 Brittney Sykes (2.1 per game), Carmen Tyson-Thomas (2.1) and Elashier Hall (2.1) leading the way.
• Syracuse's opponents are averaging 21.6 turnovers per game, resulting in a +4.52 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 10.7 points and 5.9 rebounds, second and third on the team, respectively.
• She is coming off a 15-point, nine-rebound effort vs. Providence on Saturday, leading SU in both categories.
• 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, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
• Hall is closing in on becoming the 23rd 1,000-point scorer in program history. She is at 997 points.
• She recorded her second double-double of the season, a 10-point, 14-rebound effort vs. Seton Hall on Jan. 30 that tied her career-high in boards.
• 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
• The Orange goes a full week before its next game, heading to Washington, D.C. to face Georgetown on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. at McDonough Arena.

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