January 4, 2003

Box Score

Hokies 73, Syracuse 63

 

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Freshman Carrie Mason scored a career-high 22 points as the Virginia Tech women's basketball team opened BIG EAST play with a 73-63 victory over Syracuse Saturday night at Cassell Coliseum. The win improves the Hokies' record to 10-2, 1-0 in the BIG EAST, while the loss drops Syracuse to 5-7, 0-1 in conference play.

After beginning the game down 9-2, the Hokies reeled off 13 unanswered points to take the lead for good. Tech stretched that lead to as many as 11 during the first half, before taking a 37-29 lead into the break.

The Hokies extended the lead to 16 with 11:41 remaining before Syracuse began its comeback. The Orangewomen, aided by a 19-10 run, closed the gap to seven with 1:22 left in the game. That's as close as Syracuse would get, as the Hokies finished the game with strong free-throw shooting to seal the victory.

Both teams relied heavily on outside shooting. Syracuse attempted 16 shots from beyond the arc, and Tech set a school record with 26 three-point attempts.

Tech was led by Mason's 22 points. Erin Gibson added 16 points and pulled down nine boards, and Fran Recchia had 15 points in the victory.

The Orangewomen were led by guard Julie McBride with a game-high 29 points and seven assists. Tierra Jackson had 13 points and Rochelle Coleman added 12.

The Hokies will be back in action Tuesday, Jan. 7 as they travel to Villanova to take on the Wildcats in a BIG EAST matchup. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.