Sophomore center Kayla Alexander notched her second double-double of the season to lead -/rv Syracuse (7-0) to a 69-38 win against Albany (6-2) on Monday night at the Carrier Dome. The Orange improved to 7-0 for the second-straight season with the win while extending its nonconference home winning streak to 35 games, including 28 in the Dome.
Alexander controlled the lane for the Orange, helping the squad to a 30-8 advantage in points in the paint and a 54-25 edge on the boards. The reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week, Alexander combined a game-best 15 points with a career-high 19 rebounds and added four blocks. Senior guard Erica Morrow was second on the team with 11 points and added three steals while junior forward Iasia Hemingway rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and six rebounds.
“We changed up our offense and put two down low on the block so they couldn’t triple or double team us much, that opened up the post for either side," Alexander said about the second-half offense. "We were also going up stronger and more focused, not rushing our shots.”
Senior guard Tasha Harris directed the Orange offense, dishing out seven assists while chipping in eight points.
Holding a 23-17 lead at the break, the Orange broke things open in the second half. Syracuse used a 25-0 scoring tear to make it 53-25 with 8:35 remaining in regulation while shutting out the Albany offense for more than nine minutes in the stretch.
Material from interviews, the Associated Press wire service as well as league and team sources was used in this report.
