SYRACUSE -- Sophomore center Kayla Alexander notched her second double-double of the season to lead -/rv Syracuse (7-0) to a 69-38 win against Albany (6-2) on Monday night at the Carrier Dome. The Orange improved to 7-0 for the second-straight season with the win while extending its non-conference home winning streak to 35 games, including 28 in the Dome.
Alexander controlled the lane for the Orange, helping the squad to a 30-8 advantage in points in the paint and a 54-25 edge on the boards. The reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week, Alexander combined a game-best 15 points with a career-high 19 rebounds and added four blocks. Senior guard Erica Morrow was second on the team with 11 points and added three steals while junior forward Iasia Hemingway rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and six rebounds.
“We changed up our offense and put two down low on the block so they couldn’t triple or double team us much, that opened up the post for either side," Alexander said about the second-half offense. "We were also going up stronger and more focused, not rushing our shots.”
Senior guard Tasha Harris directed the Orange offense, dishing out seven assists while chipping in eight points. Sophomore forwards Elashier Hall and Carmen Tyson-Thomas also added eight points each while Tyson-Thomas was second on the team with seven rebounds.
The teams traded baskets through the first half, exchanging the lead three times while tying on two occasions. Albany netted the first two field goals of the contest to take a 4-0 lead before a pair of three’s by Morrow and Harris and a Tyson-Thomas layup put the Orange on top, 8-4, with 12:58 remaining before the break. UAlbany outscored SU 12-4 through the next five minutes to regain the lead, 14-12, but the hosts assembled an 11-3 scoring stretch to take a 23-17 lead at the break.
Albany used an 8-5 scoring run out of intermission to cut the deficit to three, 28-25, less than three minutes into the half. Syracuse responded with a 25-0 scoring tear to break the game open, 53-25, with 8:35 remaining in regulation while shutting out the Albany offense for more than nine minutes in the stretch. Freshman La'Shay Taft connected from three-point range to give the Orange its largest lead of the contest, 69-36, with 1:52 left on the clock before the hosts cruised to the 69-38 win.
Courtesy: SU Athletics
