Mary Joe Riley sprinted down the court, looking for a lay-up and an easy two points. Rochelle Coleman couldn’t get the pass to her, so the senior point guard dribbled to the corner and did one better. She canned a 3-pointer, and then assisted Riley on the next possession before knocking down another shot from behind the arc.

Those three shots were the first eight points of a 17-0 run Syracuse ran off in the game’s first 10 minutes. The run eventually gave the Syracuse women’s basketball team a defensive-minded 51-38 win over Seton Hall Saturday on Senior Night at Manley Field House.

‘I know it was fairly ugly, but we don’t mind ugly when the scoreboard ends up like that,’ said SU head coach Keith Cieplicki.

The Orange (12-14, 4-11 Big East) used a tenacious man-to-man defense, which held the visiting Pirates (14-12, 6-9) to 21 percent shooting. SU fought through every screen, challenged passing lanes and contested every Seton Hall shot.

SU’s four seniors, Coleman, Chineze Nwagbo, Sarah Wegrzynowicz, and Krystalyn Ellerbe, started alongside freshman Vaida Sipaviciute. The group didn’t find an offensive rhythm but made sure the Pirates didn’t either, giving the Orange a 4-1 lead before Cieplicki substituted for the seniors at the 15:51 mark.

The Pirates cut the deficit to 10 in the second half but could not get closer as an assortment of Orange players continued the defensive attack. Riley appeared to aggravate her right knee – she had surgery on the knee earlier in the year, causing her to miss the first three regular season games – but still kept played solid defense. Lauren Kohn, who showcased her shooting strength with a team-high 11 points, was also extremely active on the other half of the court.

Seton Hall head coach Phyllis Mangina said her team couldn’t make a lay-up but she said the start of the game was key to her team’s loss.

‘They set the tone and ours did not,’ she said of SU’s seniors. ‘That’s good for them to come out and play like that.’

Cieplicki said he used the Senior Night festivities as a motivational tool earlier in the week.

‘I impressed upon this team that this is the last time (the seniors) are playing here,’ he said. ‘You never know with Senior Night. Sometimes people get tight, sometimes people play out of their minds. I’m really proud of the way they came out and played tonight.’

Prior to tip-off, the seniors were presented with a bouquet of flowers from the coaching staff. Coleman and Wegrzynowicz took pictures with family. Coleman finished with six points and five assists, and tied her career-high with 10 rebounds. Nwagbo notched eight points and eight rebounds in her Manley farewell.

‘Hopefully the program continues to grow and build, but (the seniors) want a piece of this,’ Cieplicki said. ‘I want them to have a piece of this. This year has been one of my favorite years of coaching and I’d say these four players have helped set a tone that has made it nice for these coaches and younger players.’

Published on February 26, 2005 at 12:00 pm