Pioneers Travel to Syracuse - Game Notes
11/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2005
Complete Sacred Heart vs. Syracuse Game Notes in PDF Format
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The Storyline... The Pioneers continue their season-opening three-game road trip at Syracuse University on Sunday afternoon. SHU is looking to rebound from an 83-50 loss at the hands of Hofstra University on Tuesday evening. The Pioneers will also look to avenge their loss to the Orange last season in a game were SHU held a 12-point lead with just over 10 minutes to go but fell short in the closing seconds. Preseason All-NEC pick Amanda Pape has led the Pioneers in the early going, scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively, in her first two games this season. For Sacred Heart to get back in the win column, their offense needs to pick up the pace. SHU is shooting just 32.7% (33-101) from the field and a paltry 0.71% (2-28) from behind the three-point arc.
The Coaches... Ed Swanson (SHU '89) enters his 16th season as head coach at his alma mater. Swanson posts a 231-188 record in his career at Sacred Heart. His teams have an 105-69 record since joining the Division I ranks in 1999-00. Swanson is the program's longest tenured coach and is the all-time leader in coaching wins, (231) and winning percentage (.551). He also earned his first ever NEC Brenda Reilly Coach of the Year award after guiding SHU to a school record 21 wins in 2003-04. Kevin Cieplicki (William & Mary `85) is in his third season at the helm of the Syracuse women's basketball program. He has compiled a 21-38 record in his three years as the Orange head coach and a 148-91 eight year career mark. Prior to taking over the Orange head coaching position, Cieplicki spent six seasons at the University of Vermont where he guided the Catamounts to a 127-53 overall record becoming the program's all-time winningest coach.
Series... The Orange lead the series, 1-0. Syracuse came to Fairfield last season and came away with a 63-59 win at the William H. Pitt Center.
Pioneers vs. the Big East... Sacred Heart is 2-9 all-time against teams from the Big East Conference. SHU picked up their first win against the conference since joining the ranks of Division I just over a week ago when the went on the road and defeated Providence College, 65-49. Prior to Friday night's win, the Pioneers lone win came against Boston College, 60-48, way back during the 1979-80 season. Sacred Heart is 1-1 against BC and Providence, 0-1 against Syracuse and Pittsburgh, 0-2 against Georgetown and 0-3 against Seton Hall.
Last Meeting with Syracuse... Sacred Heart lost a 12-point second half lead en route to their fifth-straight loss, 63-59, to Syracuse on Dec. 28th, 2004. The Orange trailed 50-38 before blitzing the Pioneers with a 25-9 run over the final 11 minutes to earn the win. The Pioneers struggled offensively, shooting just 34.8% (24-69) from the field while hitting just three-of-16 from behind the arc (18.8%). The Orange battled their way back to take a two-point lead, 61-59, on a pair of Jessica Richter free throws with 23 seconds left. The Pioneers were forced into final shot mode and the Orange, using a halfcourt zone defense all game, forced a tough shot by Colleen Duggan with seven ticks left. SU's Amanda Adamson was able to get a piece of it and Richter came down with the board and iced two free throws to send the Orange home with the win. SHU's Amanda Pape recorded a double double with 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Kerri Burke added 12 points and four steals in the loss. Syracuse got 12 points apiece from Adamson and Vaida Sipaviciute.
Scouting the Orange... The Syracuse Orange enter Sunday's game at 2-1 with wins over Manhattan and Buffalo and a loss to Niagara last time out. The Orange return just one starter from last season's 13-16 ballclub. Sophomore center Vaida Sipaviciute returns after scoring 7.3 points and grabbing 4.3 rebounds per game last season. Sipaviciute is off to a strong start, leading the team this season with 20.0 points and 11.7 rebounds in three games. The Orange were picked to finish 14th in the 16 team Big East Conference in this year's preseason coaches' poll.
Last time out... Hofstra University junior Vanessa Gidden scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Pride to an 83-50 win over visiting Sacred Heart Tuesday evening. The Pioneers shot just 24.0% from the floor and turned the ball over 24 times en route to their first loss of 2005-06. Sacred Heart pulled the game even at 16-16 when junior Amanda Pape was fouled on a three-point attempt and promptly sank all three free throws. From there it was all Hofstra from there on out as the Pride used a 12-0 run followed quickly by a 13-0 run to pull comfortably out in front 41-18 with 2:24 left in the half. Gidden, a Stamford, Connecticut product, recorded her double double in the first half alone, finishing with 13 points and 10 boards over the first 20 minutes. SHU turned the ball over 13 times in the half, leading to 18 Pride points while shooting a paltry 6-28 (21.4%) from the field and one-of-11 from behind the arc. Sacred Heart was in for more of the same in the second half as Gidden's dominance gave way to Lana Harshaw who scored all 11 of her points in the second stanza. The Pioneers got to within in 17 but a 14-3 run over the next seven minutes put the game away. Pape finished with a team-high 13 points to go with seven rebounds. Freshman Kaitlin Sowinski registered her first career double digit game, coming off the bench for 10 points, six-of-eight from the line, while grabbing seven boards.
Inching toward 1,000... Senior Nicolle Rubino is just 15 points away from reaching the 1,000-point plateau for her career, a mark that only nine other Pioneers in school history have reached. Rubino currently ranks 10th on the school's all-time scoring list with 985 points, ahead Brooke Rutnik (`03) with 941. Quickly rocketing up the list is junior Amanda Pape, who should also eclipse the mark later this season. Pape has 898 points after her first two season's in a Pioneer uniform, placing her 14th on the all-time list. The last Pioneer to break the 1,000-point barrier was Brooke Kelly (`03) during the 2002-03 season. Kelly finished her career with 1,349 points, third all-time.
Offensive Woes... SHU has struggled offensively to start the season. Despite a 65-49 win over Providence in the season opener, the Pioneer's offense has failed to click in the first two games. The Pioneers are a combined 2-28 from behind the three-point arc (.071) in their first two games. SHU was 4th in the NEC a year ago at 37.9%. From the field, the Pioneers have hit just 32.7% (33-101), a mark they will need to improve on as the year progresses.
New Kid Down on the Block... After just two games, freshman Kaitlin Sowinski has shown Coach Swanson that she can be counted on to provide minutes in the paint this season. Sowinski is coming off a 10-point game at Hofstra on Tuesday and where she also had a pair of blocks on the defensive end. The 6-4 center can also get to the free throw stripe and knock `em down. Sowinski is 10-of-12 from the line.
Rush Back in the Mix... Junior Mary Rush has made a successful return to the hardwood after missing all of 2004-05 with foot injuries. Rush is back and in the starting lineup for the first time in her career, averaging 17.5 minutes and 4.0 points in the first two games.
Same Old Pape... It may be a new calendar year, but SHU junior Amanda Pape has picked up right where she left off as a sophomore. The junior guard is right on her season averages from last season that earned her a spot on the All-NEC team. Pape is averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in the first two games with five steals and a team-best 19 trips to the free throw line.
Walker Shines in Season Opener... Junior Jasmine Walker came up with a career-night to lead the Pioneers to a 65-49 win over Providence in the season opener. Walker scored a career-best 17 points, shooting seven-of-11 from the field and grabbing five boards in the win.
