MILWAUKEE, Wisc. - Syracuse (14-4, 2-3) used a late-game rally to earn a 69-63 come-from-behind victory against Marquette (15-4, 3-3) on Saturday afternoon at the Al McGuire Center. Sophomore center Kayla Alexander and junior guard Iasia Hemingway both notched double-doubles in SU's first BIG EAST road win of the season.
Alexander tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Orange dominated the Golden Eagles on the boards, 41-29, and in the paint, 38-26. Hemingway matched 13 points with a team-best tying 10 boards while senior guard Erica Morrow rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 points and four rebounds.
Sophomore guard Elashier Hall added nine points while senior guard Tasha Harris directed the well-balanced offense with five assists and chipped in seven points. Hall opened the scoring with a trifecta and a pair of free throws by Morrow gave the Orange a 5-0 advantage. Marquette tied the game, 5-5, with 17:17 to play, but SU responded with back-to-back buckets by Hemingway and Alexander to regain the lead, 9-5.
SU built its lead to seven, 14-7, on a Hemingway free throw with 13:28 remaining in the first half while shutting out the Golden Eagle offense for two minutes in the stretch.
Marquette answered with a 15-0 run to take a 25-14 lead with 6:42 left on the clock. The Orange cut the lead to three, 25-22, with 3:16 to go, but the Golden Eagles maintained its advantage through the end of the first half to head into the break with a 29-22 edge.
The teams traded baskets out of the intermission with Marquette steadily maintaining its lead. The Golden Eagles built their edge to 12, 42-30, with 14:24 remaining in the contest, but the Orange outscored the hosts, 12-6, through the next five minutes to halve the deficit, 48-42, with 9:11 to go.
Syracuse continued to outscore Marquette, using an 8-3 run to pull within one, 51-50, with 6:02 left on the clock. A pair of free throws by Alexander gave the Orange its first lead of the second half with 5:38 remaining.
The teams battled back-and-forth, tying twice through the next two minutes. Tied at 58-58 with 2:55 left on the clock, SU netted the next five, taking a 63-58 lead on a Harris jumper. The Golden Eagles made it a one-possession game twice in the final 30 seconds of play, but the Orange maintained its advantage through the remainder of regulation for a 69-63 victory.
Syracuse returns to the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome on Wednesday, January 26 when it hosts Pittsburgh at 7 p.m.
Courtesy: SU Athletics
