SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Junior guard Iasia Hemingway netted 14 points and recorded a career-high 17 rebounds to lead Syracuse (24-9) to victory against St. Bonaventure (21-12) in the second round of the WNIT on March 21. With the win, SU advances to the third round of the tournament on Thursday, March 24, when the team will host Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse shot 41.1 percent in the contest, marking the fourth consecutive game that the squad has shot 40.0 percent or better from the field. SU out-rebounded St. Bonaventure, 43-29, in the team's 41st consecutive non-conference home win.
Sophomore center Kayla Alexander and sophomore guard Elashier Hall joined Hemingway with double-digit points in the victory. Alexander registered 12 points and three blocks, while Hall added 10 points and six boards.
The teams battled early, as neither squad was able to find the net for the first two and half minutes of the game. Hall and sophomore guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas put the Orange on the board with back-to-back threes, giving the Orange a 6-5 lead with just over 16 minutes to go in the first.
A deep three from the Bonnies' Alaina Walker sparked a six-point run, putting her team up, 11-6. The Orange retaliated, as Hemingway nailed two free throws and Alexander drained a put-back to help SU pull within two. Hemingway recorded a big block, as she denied an opposing shooter, grabbed the rebound and finished the play with a physical layup, tying the game at 12. Senior guard Tasha Harris hit a shot from beyond the arc to give SU a 15-14 lead with just under eight minutes to go in the half. Syracuse used costly fouls on the Bonnies to trigger a 9-0 run and give the Orange a 24-14 lead with four minutes remaining in the half.
St. Bonaventure countered with consecutive layups, but senior guard Erica Morrow sank two free throws to give the Orange its first double-digit lead of the game. The Orange offense did not let up in the last minute of play, as Hall drained a jumper in the final seconds of the half to send SU to the locker room with a 32-20 advantage.
The Orange drew first blood in the second half when Alexander netted a layup from down low. Morrow followed with a 3-point jumper to extend SU's lead to 37-20 with 17:53 remaining. The Bonnies came up with a quick seven points, but Hall dialed up a deep three to put SU up 43-27 with 14:48 to play.
St. Bonaventure gained momentum and closed SU's lead to single digits, making the score 48-41 with 8:31 left. Morrow and Alexander netted quick layups, sparking the Orange offense and putting the squad up by 11 with seven and a half minutes remaining in the game. Syracuse proceeded with a nine-point run to extend its lead to 20, putting SU on top 61-41 with just under four to play. The Orange remained in control for the final minutes of the game to earn a 63-50 victory.
Courtesy: SU Athletics
