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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The rv/rv Syracuse University women's basketball team (25-10) travels to meet the Michigan Wolverines (20-13) for a Women's National Invitation Tournament quarterfinal game on Sunday, March 28 at 2 p.m. Syracuse has won four postseason games in the last two seasons, while this season marks the first it has won more than one postseason contest in a single year.
All games can be heard live on SU's flagship station WTLA 97.7 FM and 1200 AM (WSGO 1440 AM and 100.1 FM in Oswego). Live audio for every Orange game is available on SUathletics.com via Orange All Access, while live statistics are available on mgoblue.com.
Orange Keeps Rolling
Syracuse's 74-59 victory against VCU in the third round of the WNIT on March 26 was its third consecutive postseason victory and fourth in the last two years. The Orange beat Canisius in the first round last season before losing to Bowling Green in a second round matchup. SU has had a player record a double-double in four of its five WNIT games. Last season, Chandrea Jones registered 26 points and 12 rebounds in the win against Canisius, senior forward Nicole Michael had 22 points and 13 rebounds against Bowling Green. This year, freshman guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas recorded 17 points and 13 rebounds against Harvard. Michael (18 points and 11 rebounds) and senior forward Juanita Ward (12 points and 10 rebounds) both posted double-doubles in SU's win against VCU.
Last Time Out
Syracuse captured its third consecutive postseason victory to advance to the quarterfinal round of the WNIT following a 74-59 win against Virginia Commonwealth on March 26 at Manley Field House. The Orange overcame a five-point deficit mid-way through the second half and outscored the Rams 26-6 down the stretch en route to the victory. Freshman center Kayla Alexander led the Orange with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting overall, while collecting six rebounds and blocking four VCU shot attempts. Senior forward Nicole Michael extended her career lead at least one more game, posting her 31st career double-double with 18 points and 11 boards. Michael needs just four points to become the only player in program history to twice reach the 500-point plateau in a single season.
Orange Against the Wolverines
Sunday marks the fourth time Michigan and Syracuse have met on the hardwood. UM owns a 3-0 series advantage with the last game coming during the 2001-02 season, an 84-76 Michigan victory in Syracuse on Nov. 25, 2001. The Orange first met the Wolverines on Dec. 30, 1983 in Michigan, when the hosts won, 83-81. SU is 0-2 all-time in Ann Arbor, also losing an 82-65 decision on Dec. 7, 2000.
Scouting Michigan
Michigan, which picked up its third 20-win season in school history (first since the 1999-2000 campaign) with a third-round win over Northwestern (65-44), is looking to advance to the semifinals of a national tournament for the first time in school history. The Wolverines have defeated all three of its WNIT opponents by double figures while making their eighth postseason appearance and fourth WNIT appearance in school history. Michigan is 5-2 all-time in WNIT action in Crisler Arena and is 6-3 all-time in postseason WNIT action. Veronica Hicks leads four Wolverine double-digit scorers with 12.9 points per game, while Carmen Reynolds (12.8), Dayeesha Hollins (12.1) and Krista Phillips (10.0) round out the double-figure leaders. Phillips last led the Wolverines to a 65-44 victory against Northwestern with 17 points, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and seven rebounds.