#24/21 SU Faces #3 UConn in Semifinals

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS No. 3 Syracuse (24-6, 11-5) vs. No. 2 Connecticut (28-3, 14-2)
Game Details	Monday, March 11 \| Hartford, Conn. \| 8 p.m. XL Center \| Tickets \| Directions
Game Coverage	Syracuse Tournament Central TV: ESPNU 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

QUARTERFINAL VIDEO LINKS: Press Conference | Highlights | Recap

HARTFORD, Conn. - No. 24/21 Syracuse women's basketball (24-6) faces No. 3/3 Connecticut in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship on Monday at 8:30 p.m. at the XL Center on ESPNU. The Orange advanced to its first BIG EAST semifinal since 2002 by way of a 61-56 victory over Villanova on Sunday in the quarterfinals.

GAME COVERAGE
• Monday's semifinal game will be televised on ESPNU with Syracuse native Beth Mowins and Brooke Weisbrod on the call.
• 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. All SU BIG EAST Tournament games will also be on WJPZ 89.1 FM.
• SUAthletics.com will have live audio on Orange All Access, as well as live stats.
• Follow @SyracuseWBB on Twitter for in-game updates.

SU IN THE BIG EAST TOURNEY
• Syracuse is playing in its first BIG EAST semifinal since 2002 (67-48 loss vs. Boston College) and fifth overall (1985, 1986, 1988 and 2002).
• This is the sixth appearance in the conference tournament for the Orange under seventh-year head coach Quentin Hillsman (5-5) and its 29th overall (16-27).
• The Orange's No. 3 seed this season is its highest since being No. 1 in 1988 and tied for the second-best in program history with 1986 and 1987.
• SU has won at least one game in the BIG EAST tourney for four consecutive seasons, the longest streak in program history.
• SU won its first and only BIG EAST Championship in 1985. It opened with a win vs. Pitt (56-55) before topping No. 1 seed St. John's (67-49) and No. 2 seed Villanova (57-56) to take the title.

AN ORANGE WIN ON SUNDAY WOULD...
• ...send SU to the BIG EAST Championship game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN against the winner of Monday's 6 p.m. semifinal between top-seed Notre Dame and fourth-seeded Louisville.
• ...advance the Orange to its third ever BIG EAST title game. It won its lone title in 1985, defeating Villanova, 57-56. It lost in the championship in 1988 vs. St. John's, 74-72 in overtime.
• ...make SU 25-6 for the first time in program history, one game better than the previous best through 31 games of 24-7 in 1980-81.
• ...give SU 25 wins for the third time in the last four years (2009-10 and 2010-11).

SCOUTING UCONN
• The second-seeded Huskies advanced to the semifinals with a 94-61 win over DePaul on Sunday. Breanna Stewart led five Huskies in double figures with 21 points.
• UConn won the regular season meeting with the Orange on Jan. 19 at the XL Center, 87-62. Stefanie Dolson and Kaleena Mosquedo-Lewis combined for 50 points to lead UConn, while Carmen Tyson-Thomas led four Orange in double figures with 12 points.
• SU's last win over the Huskies was on Jan. 2, 1996 at Manley Field House, 62-59.

BEST RECORD IN PROGRAM HISTORY
• Syracuse's 24-6 record is the program's best ever after 30 games, one game better than the previous best of 23-7 in 1980-81.
• In the BIG EAST, Syracuse's 11-5 mark was tied for its third-best conference record ever with 1986-87. It went 13-3 in 1987-88 and 12-4 in 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.

FOUR EARN ALL-BIG EAST HONORS
• Four Syracuse players were honored by the BIG EAST on Thursday as the conference announced its All-BIG EAST teams. Senior Kayla Alexander was named All-BIG EAST First Team, Brianna Butler and Brittney Sykes were named to the All-Freshman squad, and senior Carmen Tyson-Thomas was named the Sixth-Man of the Year.
• The four honorees is tied for the most ever for the No. 24/21 Orange with 2008, the year SU made its last NCAA Tournament appearance.

ALEXANDER DOMINANT IN WIN VS. 'NOVA
• Senior center Kayla Alexander tied her career-high and set an SU BIG EAST Tournament record with 34 points on 15-of-23 shooting in the Orange 61-56 quarterfinal win over Villanova on Sunday night. She added 15 rebounds for her 12^th double-double of the season and BIG EAST-leading 31^st of her career.
• Led by Alexander's post dominance, the Orange held a 36-10 advantage in points in the paint and a 44-31 rebounding edge, including 16 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second-chance points.
• SU used a 16-0 first-half run in which it held the Wildcats scoreless for 7:28 to take control of the game. The Orange held off a late Villanova run in the second half by making 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch.

TAKING IT TO A NEW LEVEL
• One of the BIG EAST's top players all season long, Alexander has taken her game to new heights down the stretch this season. In the last four games, all against RPI top-30 teams, she is averaging 24.0 points on 54.2 percent shooting and 12.0 rebounds. This includes a 24-point, 16-rebound effort at No. 2 Notre Dame.
• Fellow senior Carmen Tyson-Thomas has also taken her game to a higher level. The BIG EAST Sixth-Man Award winner is averaging 14.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists over the last four games.
• Also coming off the bench, junior Rachel Coffey has compiled 20 assists against 10 turnovers at the point guard position over those four games.

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