HARTFORD, Conn. - Junior guard Iasia Hemingway netted 17 points and a career-high five assists to lead Syracuse (22-8) to a 74-44 victory against No. 16 Seton Hall (8-22) in the first round of the 2011 BIG EAST Tournament on Friday, March 4th at the XL Center. Today's victory marks the first time Syracuse has won a game in back-to-back BIG EAST Tournaments since 1985 and 1986.
Four Syracuse players logged double-digit points in the win. Senior guard Erica Morrow recorded 12 points. She now has 1,613 career points, good for second on the all-time scoring list. Morrow also takes over second on the all-time free throws charts, with 350 in her four-years as an Orange. Sophomore center Kayla Alexander tallied 16 points in the contest, while sophomore guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 assists.
Syracuse got off to an aggressive start, but had a hard time finding the basket in the first two minutes of the game, as Seton Hall jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. Three consecutive free throws by Hemingway sparked a 7-2 Orange run in the next four minutes to put SU on top, 9-6. The teams traded points and had five lead changes, before Tyson-Thomas pulled down a rebound and Alexander finished the play with a bucket from the paint to give the Orange a 20-17 advantage with 9:46 to play in the first.
Tyson-Thomas drained a jumper from beyond the arc to put the Orange up 25-20 with seven minutes to go in the first. Hemingway followed with a deep three to increase SU's buffer to eight. Seton Hall was able to pull within six, but Alexander netted a layup to give the Orange its largest lead of the half, going up 31-22 with just over three minutes to play. With neither team able to find the net in the last two minutes, the teams headed to the locker room with Syracuse holding onto a 33-24 lead.
The Orange offense came on strong in the second, using a 9-1 run to go up 42-25 with 17 minutes left in the second half. The Pirates' Jasmine Crew drained a jumper and a free throw in an attempt to help her squad gain momentum, but Hall and Morrow each netted a bucket to extend the Syracuse's lead to 19. Tyson-Thomas completed a three-point play to put the Orange up 50-29 with 13:20 left in the game. Syracuse capitalized on several costly Pirates' fouls to help take a 69-38 lead with just over six to play. Seton Hall closed the game on a 6-5 run, but the Orange were able to earn a 74-44 victory.
**Courtesy SU Athletics**
