Orange off to Bahamas for Junkanoo Jam

No. 22 Syracuse (3-0) vs. East Carolina (5-0)
Game Details: Thursday, November 26 | 2 p.m.
Location: St. George's High School Gymnasium | Freeport, Bahamas
Game Coverage: Audio | Video | @Cuse Twitter | @CuseWBB Twitter
Game Notes: Syracuse

No. 22 Syracuse (3-0) vs. No. 1/2 South Carolina (3-0)/Wisconsin (1-2)
Game Details: Friday, November 26 | TBD
Location: St. George's High School Gymnasium | Freeport, Bahamas
Game Coverage: Audio | Video | @Cuse Twitter | @CuseWBB Twitter
Game Notes: Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 22 Syracuse University women's basketball team heads down to the Bahamas for the 2014 Junkanoo Jam. Syracuse will take on East Carolina in its first contest on the island on Thursday at 2 p.m. at St. George's High School Gymnasium in Freeport, Bahamas. The Orange will then play either No. 1/2 South Carolina or Wisconsin on Friday.

This trip marks the team's third and fourth straight contest away from the Carrier Dome and first two neutral site contests of the year. Last season, Syracuse owned a 5-1 mark in neutral site games, winning the 2013 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For the sixth straight season, Syracuse has won its first three games. The Orange opened the year with a home win against Fordham and then hit the road, defeating Duquesne and Jacksonville.

From Downtown
Junior guard Brianna Butler came to play in the team's third game of the 2014-15 season, scoring a team-high 16 points in only 18 minutes played at Jacksonville on Nov. 22. Butler was an outstanding 4-for-6 from the beyond the arc. She is now 73 3-point field goals shy of the Syracuse career record, currently held by Julie McBride, who sank 229 from 2001-04.

The King of Prussia, Pa. native led the ACC (17th in NCAA) in 3-pointers made per game (3.03) in 2013-14. Her 100 3-pointers set a SU single-season record as she became just the third player in ACC history to break triple digits in a season. She ranked second on the team in scoring and 17th in the ACC with an average of 14.5 points per game, as well.

Butler matched her career-high with seven 3-point field goals in a 25-point effort at Boston College on Feb. 16. She tripled her previous personal-best in assist with 12 to go with 16 points and seven rebounds in a win against Virginia on Jan. 26. It marked the most assists by an Orange since Tracy Harbut has 12 against Massachusetts on Dec. 10, 2005.

New Faces
Syracuse welcomed five newcomers to the program for the 2014-15 season. Four of the five newest Orange made their Syracuse debut in the season-opening victory against Fordham on Nov. 16. Senior guard Diamond Henderson scored seven points in 11 minutes of play. Freshman center Amber Witherspoon tallied two points, two rebounds, and one blocked shot. Senior guard Maggie Morrison dished out two assists, while freshman guard Danielle Minott played for four minutes. Sophomore center Michelle Van Dyke made her debut at Jacksonville on Nov. 22.

Van Dyke, Minott, and Witherspoon all came in looking to see time in their first year. Van Dyke originally came to Syracuse with the intent to join the volleyball program. Minott and Witherspoon, on the other hand, are two heralded recruits and both ranked among the top players at their position in the Class of 2014.

Henderson and Morrison both transferred to Syracuse and are eligible to play in 2014-15. Henderson was a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference honoree at Tennessee Tech. Morrison spent two years at Vanderbilt, before joining the Orange last season. She had to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules.

Series Breakdown
Thursday marks the first time Syracuse and East Carolina will meet. The Orange is slated to meet four opponents, possibly five, for the first time during the 2014-15 regular season.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brianna Butler

Diamond Henderson

Danielle Minott

Maggie Morrison

Michelle Van Dyke

Amber Witherspoon

Syracuse University Athletics