Women's Basketball | 2/4/2015 9:14:00 AM |
#25 Syracuse Hosts #13/11 UNC Thursday
National Girls and Women in Sports Day in the Carrier Dome
No. 25/25 Syracuse (15-7, 5-4) vs. No. 13/11 North Carolina (18-4, 5-3)
Game Details: Thursday, February 5 | 7 p.m.
Location: Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
Game Coverage: Live Stats |
Audio |
Video |
@Cuse Twitter |
@CuseWBB Twitter
Television: Time Warner Cable Sports Channel | ESPN3
Game Notes: Syracuse |
North Carolina
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 25 Syracuse University women's basketball team will play a top-15 opponent for the third straight game when it hosts No. 13/11 North Carolina on Thursday night in the Carrier Dome. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and ESPN3. Thursday night is National Girls and Women in Sports Day, as well.
In the team's latest contest, Syracuse suffered a 62-52 loss at No. 9/9 Florida State on Feb. 2. Junior guard
Brianna Butler recorded a team-high 15 points against the Seminoles. Senior guard
Diamond Henderson and junior forward
Taylor Ford each had 10 points, as well. It marked the second consecutive game Henderson and Ford scored in double-figures.
The Orange will take on a top-25 opponent for the third game in-a-row on Thursday night when it hosts No. 13/11 North Carolina. It marks the first time since the 2004-05 season that Syracuse has played three consecutive top-25 teams. The club faced No. 22/19 Boston College, No. 10/10 Rutgers, and No. 11 Connecticut in Feb. 2005.
Double-Double Machine
Sophomore center
Briana Day has begun to establish herself as one of the premier frontcourt players in the Atlantic Coast Conference in her second season as a member of the Syracuse women's basketball team. Day currently leads the ACC in blocked shots (3.24 bpg) and ranks second in rebounds (10.8 rpg) and offensive rebounds (4.3 rpg).
Day currently averages just under double-double for the 2014-15 season, tallying 9.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game for the Orange. She has notched 10 double-doubles in 22 games played, which ranks second in the ACC and 24th in the country. The Raleigh, N.C. native has recorded back-to-back doubles on three different occasions in 2014-15. Day first accomplished this feat at the Junkanoo Jam and in doing so she became the first Orange to notch consecutive double-doubles since
Shakeya Leary in 2013-14.
The sophomore center put together a dominant performance against North Carolina State on Jan. 25. Day was three blocked shots shy of the first Syracuse triple-double since Chris Palombi tallied 20 points, 18 rebounds, and 14 blocked shots against Georgetown on Jan. 13, 1984. Day finished the day with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and a career-high seven blocked shots.
Day put together a tremendous second half at Pittsburgh on Jan. 22. After being held scoreless and with only two rebounds in the opening 20 minutes, she exploded for 11 points and eight rebounds in the latter half. It was a great showing after missing a game against Boston College on Jan. 18 due to injury.
In the second game of the year, Day put together one of the best performances in program history. She scored 22 points and pulled down 19 rebounds against Duquesne on Nov. 19, tallying career-highs in both categories. She became the 10th player in Syracuse history to record at least 19 rebounds in a single game and the first to do so since Leary did so against Seton Hall on Jan. 8, 2011. In addition, she was only rebound shy of becoming the second player in school history to register at least 20 points and 20 boards in a single contest.
Three-Headed Attack
It is hard for opposing defenses to lockdown on one specific player when it comes to the Syracuse offense. Currently, three different players average at least 12.0 points per game for the Orange, giving the team many options when looking for point production.
Sophomore guard
Alexis Peterson averages a team-high 14.7 points per game in her first season as a full-time starter. Junior guard
Brianna Butler scores at a clip of 12.7 points per contest, while senior guard
Diamond Henderson averages 12.0 points a game. The trio all rank in the top 30 in the ACC in scoring. Syracuse is one of three teams in the league to boast three players in the top 30, joining Duke and Virginia.
Series Breakdown
Syracuse and North Carolina will meet for the fifth time on Thursday night in the Carrier Dome. The Tar Heels own a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series, but the Orange took the last meeting last season in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Last year, Syracuse defeated North Carolina, 78-73, at Carmichael Arena on Jan. 30, 2014. At the time, North Carolina was ranked No. 6/6 in the country, which marked the highest ranked opponent Syracuse had ever defeated on the road.
Brianna Butler recorded a team-best 22 points against the Tar Heels.
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