Feb. 25, 2008
Game Notes
Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University women's basketball team (14-12, 4-9 BE) attempts to sweep the season series from the Syracuse Orange (20-6, 8-5 BE) on Tuesday night, February 26 at 6 p.m. inside the Carrier Dome. CSTV will be broadcasting the game live with Jason Knapp and Anne Schatz on the call.
A little over three weeks ago, Georgetown topped then. No. 22 Syracuse, 78-71 on February 2 in Washington, D.C. It marked the Hoyas' first win over a ranked opponent since January 17, 2004 when GU upset No. 23 Virginia Tech 70-50. It was head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy's first-ever win over a ranked opponent.
The Hoyas are coming off a huge 66-56 home win over USF on Saturday. GU now sits in 11th place in the league standings with three games left. Georgetown currently holds head-to-head tiebreakers over Seton Hall, USF and St. John's as the Hoyas look to qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2005.
Georgetown's four league wins tops the Blue and Gray's three BIG EAST wins it has posted in each of the last two seasons.
Hoyas in the Series vs. Syracuse ... Georgetown leads the all-time series, 24-23 and the Hoyas have won three straight games here in Syracuse.
GU has three seniors on the roster, Kristin Heidloff, Kieraah Marlow and junior college transfer Aminata Diop. Heidloff and Marlow have played six games against the Orange, the most vs. any BIG EAST opponent. When they were freshmen in 2004-05, Heidloff and Marlow were apart of a Georgetown team that swept the season series from Syracuse before No. 11 seed SU toppled No. 6 seed Georgetown, 65-58 in the first round of the BIG EAST Touanament.
The road team won both games during the 2005-06 season (GU, 58-51) and again last year (SU, 65-58).
Georgetown tripped up 22nd-ranked Syracuse, 78-71 earlier this season on Feb. 2.
Five Georgetown players are averaging at least eight points vs. Syracuse. Forward Kieraah Marlow is averaging 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in six previous meetings. Center Aminata Diop is averaging 12.5 points in two previous meetings. Guard Meredith Cox (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) is averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games. Guard Shanice Fuller is averaging 8.5 points and 6.0 assists in two games while freshman forward Monica McNutt (Suitland, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) netted 13 points in the earlier meeting this season.
Quick Notes ... Georgetown ranks fifth in the BIG EAST allowing 60.6 points per game. The Hoyas have held eight opponents to under 53 points. In BIG EAST play however, Georgetown is allowing 68.0 points per game, ranking 10th in the league. USF is averaging 62.1 points in league play.
-- Georgetown is 12-1 when they hold the lead with five minutes to go. GU led 48-45 with five minutes to go at Marquette but couldn't hold on. - - Opponents have shot the basketball better than the Hoyas in eight of the 13 league games but in the three games where the Hoyas had a better field goal percentage (Seton Hall, Syracuse, USF), GU was victorious. Georgetown outshot Seton Hall, 46% - 36% and GU won the game, 57-56. The Hoyas also outshot the Orange, 49% - 41% to earn the seven-point win before shooting 41% vs. USF's 33% on Saturday. The Hoyas topped St. John's, 61-60 despite the fact that the Red Storm outshot GU, 41 percent to 33 percent.
-- In their BIG EAST home games (4-3), the Hoyas are shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from three-point distance for a total of 67.6 points per game. In their BIG EAST road games (0-6), GU is shooting 32 percent from the floor and 25 percent from long range for a total of 48.2 points per game.
-- Junior college transfer Karee Houlette (Houston, Texas/Cypress Springs) is averaging 7.4 points on 8-18 three-point shooting (41%) and has six assists vs. one turnover and four steals in the last five games. Houlette posted career bests with 12 points in 30 minutes last Wednesday vs. DePaul.
-- Senior center Aminata Diop (Saint-Louis, Senegal) has tallied in double figures in six straight games, the longest such stretch in her one-plus seasons on the Hilltop. Diop is averaging 11.5 points on 64 percent shooting (29-45) with 3.0 rebounds while shooting 11-16 from the free throw line during the stretch.
-- With four treys in the last two games, senior co-captain Kristin Heidloff (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) now ranks fifth on the school's all-time list with 142 career three-pointers. Heidloff had 14 points five assists vs. No. 17 Notre Dame and became one of just eight Hoyas in school history to surpass the 300-assist mark (302). Fuller has been in the starting lineup in each of the last 11 games, averaging 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists while compiling a team best 14 steals during the stretch.
-- Sophomore guard Shanice Fuller (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) has 105 assists this season, becoming the first Hoya in two seasons to surpass the century mark in assists.
Senior forward Kieraah Marlow (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) now ranks fourth on the school's all-time list (1,578 career points) and fifth in rebounding (794). Marlow, who earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in each of the last two seasons, is one of two Hoya players to rank in the school's top 5 in both categories - the other being Rebekkah Brunson (2000-04), GU's only AP All-American honorable mention honoree.
Scouting Syracuse ... Syracuse (20-6, 8-5 BE) has reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 1987-88 season. Syracuse ranks fifth in the league averaging more than 72 points per game while ranking second in the league with a plus 8.2 rebounding margin.
Chandrea Jones leads the team and ranks ninth in the BIG EAST averaging 15.5 points per game.
The Orange has three players that rank among the league's top ten rebounders, Fantasia Goodwin (9.0 rpg), Chandrea Jones (7.9 rpg) and Nicole Michael (7.5).
SU has league wins over Louisville, at USF, at Villanova, vs. St. John's, at DePaul, vs. Marquette, at Seton Hall, vs. Cincinnati.
