Game Notes in PDF Format

GAME #2: Cornell at Syracuse
TIP OFF: Monday, Nov. 15, at 7:00 p.m. (Syracuse, N.Y.)
SERIES RECORD: Syracuse leads, 12-4
LAST MEETING: Syracuse won, 72-64, on Nov. 15, 2006 (Syracuse, N.Y.)
2010-11 RECORDS: Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy), Cleveland State (0-0, 0-0 Horizon)
LIVE AUDIO: SUAthletics.com
LIVE STATS: SUAthletics.com
LIVE VIDEO: SUAthletics.com

THE MATCHUP – The Big Red women's basketball team continues to look for its first win of the season as it travels up I-81 to take on instate rival Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Monday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Cornell is coming off a 65-50 loss to Cleveland State, while the Orange opened its season with a victory over Northeastern, 72-69.

THE SERIES VS. SYRACUSE — Cornell's rivalry with Syracuse is one of the oldest in the history of the women's basketball program. The series began during the 1972-73 season, just the second year of women's basketball for both schools, with a 64-24 Big Red victory. Cornell would win the next two meetings as well, giving the Big Red its longest winning-streak (three games) against the Orange. Syracuse would win the next nine meetings, a streak which was halted during the 2003-04 campaign when Cornell defeated the Orange 82-62. Syracuse has won the last two meetings to improve its lead in the series to 12-4, but the teams have not met since the 2006-07 season.

LAST TIME VS. THE ORANGE – Despite a game-high 27-point, 15-rebound double-double from Jeomi Maduka, Cornell opened the 2006-07 season with a loss, falling to instate rival Syracuse, 72-64, in the Carrier Dome. Maduka added a game-high five steals and three assists and one block to fill out the stat line, while Gretchen Gregg and Shannan Scarselletta added eight and seven points, respectively. Scarselletta and Kayleen Fitzsimmons also chipped in a team-high four assists. The Orange had four players in double figures, led by Vaida Sipaviciute with 18 points and Nicole Michael with 17. Syracuse shot 44.6 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, while holding the Big Red to 36.1 percent shooting and a 16.7 percent performance from 3-point range.

SCOUTING THE SYRACUSE – The Orange lost three starters from last season's 25-11 squad, including All-BIG EAST first team selection Nicole Michael. Senior guards Erica Morrow and Tasha Harris will be looked at to lead the team, as Morrow was named to the preseason all-BIG EAST Honorable Mention squad and ranks third on the SU record lists in all-time 3-point field goals made (171), while Harris ranks seventh in assists average (4.0). Syracuse also welcomes back All-BIG EAST Freshman Team honorees Kayla Alexander and Carmen Tyson-Thomas, while adding two highly touted newcomers in junior transfer Iasia Hemingway and redshirt freshman Shakeya Leary. Hemingway scored 625 points and grabbed 297 rebounds in her two years at Georgia Tech, while Leary was named to the New York Daily News first team as a junior and senior.

CORNELL VS. THE BIG EAST — Cornell is 4-23 all-time vs. the current members of the Big East Conference, with all four wins coming against Syracuse. The Big Red holds a losing record vs. Cincinnati (0-1), Connecticut (0-1), DePaul (0-2), Georgetown (0-2), St. John's (0-2), South Florida (0-1), Villanova (0-1) and West Virginia (0-1). Cornell has only faced three Big East schools other than Syracuse more than once (DePaul, Georgetown, and St. John's) and has never faced Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers or Seton Hall in women's basketball ... Coach Smith is 1-9 vs. the conference during her time at the helm of the Big Red program, with the lone victory coming against Syracuse, 82-62, during the 2003-04 season.

A CORNELL WIN WOULD —
• even the Big Red's record at 1-1.
• cut Syracuse's lead in the series to 12-5.
• give Coach Smith a 2-9 record against Big East opponents.
• tie Coach Smith with Marnie Dacko (1995-2002) as the winningest coach in Big Red women's basketball history with 80 career victories.

COACHING HISTORY — Head Coach Dayna Smith has 79 career wins with the Big Red and needs just one more to match the school record for wins by a coach, joining Marnie Dacko (1995-2002), who ranks first all-time in wins with 80.

FRESH START – A pair of guards, sophomore Spencer Land and freshman Shelby Lyman, made their first career starts for the Big Red vs. Cleveland State.

CLEAR THE BENCH – All 12 members of the Big Red saw action vs. Cleveland State.

40-MINUTE WOMAN – Freshman Shelby Lyman played a full 40 minutes vs. Cleveland State, becoming the only player in Coach Smith's tenure to play a full game in their first collegiate start.

WELCOME BACK – After suffering a season-ending injury prior to the start of last season, senior Susie Doyle made her return to the court vs. Cleveland State.

FOR OPENERS – The Big Red owns a 17-23 all-time record in season openers. Coach Dayna Smith has posted a 1-8 record in season openers during her time with Cornell.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN – Senior Susie Doyle and junior Allie Munson will serve as team captains for the 2010-11 season.

SMARTY PANTS – For the second straight season, the Big Red has been named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. Cornell was the only Ivy League institutions on the list, ranking 25th overall with a team GPA of 3.308.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – The Big Red added six players to the 2010-11 squad: Maka Anyanwu (Oakland, Calif.), Aspen Chandler (Dallas, Texas), Joelle Davidson (Hyattsville, Md.), Allyson DiMagno (Fairport, N.Y.), Stephanie Long (Norwich, Conn.) and Shelby Lyman (Snohomish, Wash.). The class of six players come from six different states and consists of four guards, one forward and one player that could see action at guard or forward.

UMPQUA COMMUNITY CONNECTION – Junior college transfer Maka Anyanwu comes to the Big Red after a successful season at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. Fans of the Big Red should know UCC, as it was the two-year home of former Cornell standout Moina Snyder '07.

ALL IN THE FAMILY – Freshman Aspen Chandler comes from a long line of athletes. Her father, Brian Hopgood, had a successful professional basketball career playing in the various domestic and overseas leagues. Collegiately, he played at University of Louisville and Oklahoma City University. While at OCU, he led his team to the NAIA national championship and was a two-time All-American. Her cousin Shelton Johnson currently plays football for the University of Wisconsin and her grandfather Wayne Long ran track and field in college.

IRISH NATIONAL – Senior Susie Doyle has been a member of the U16, U17, U18 and U20 Irish national teams. She led her U16 and U18 Irish National Teams to the European Championships and was named captain of the U16 squad in 2004 and the U18 in 2006. She was named MVP of the U18 team.

FOUR-YEAR FOREIGNERS – Susie Doyle will have the opportunity to be the first of her kind – a foreign student that uses all four years of her eligibility at Cornell. The Big Red has had three foreigners in program history: Jumana Salti (Amman, Jordan), Sarah Lee (Deep River, Ontatio) and Moïna Snyder (Nice, Frace), but all three only played two years for Cornell.

WELCOME BACK – Former Cornell women's basketball standout Gretchen Gregg '08 has returned to East Hill to join head coach Dayna Smith's staff for the upcoming 2010-11 season. Gregg brings two years of coaching experience, as well as an unparalleled passion for Cornell, with her to her new position. Gregg comes to Cornell following two very successful seasons with the Lehigh women's basketball program, where she served as a graduate assistant. During her time in Bethlehem, the Mountain Hawks won back-to-back Patriot League championships, advanced to two straight NCAA tournaments, and set a new school and Patriot League record for wins (29) during the 2009-10 season. As a player at Cornell, Gregg capped a successful career by helping the Big Red to its first-ever Ivy League Championship and the program's first berth to the NCAA Tournament.

HI, MY NAME IS – Cornell had a new face on the bench for the 2010-11 season, as Ryan Woerner joined the women's basketball staff as an assistant coach. Despite having just graduated from nearby Ithaca College this past May, Woerner brings with him significant coaching experience. In addition to interning with the Cornell men's program last spring, he has served as an assistant coach at Xavier high school, as well as coaching at the Boston College Elite Camp and the West Point Basketball Camp. He was also a coach for the Five Star Basketball Camp and The Hoop Group. Additionally, Woerner served as the assistant basketball camp director at Molloy College.

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE – During the 2009-10 season, the Big Red assisted on 67.7 percent of its made shots (364-of-537). That is the best percentage during Coach Smith's tenure, including the 2007-08 season in which Cornell set the school record for assists (436-of-659 – 66.1%).

TICKLE THE (ALL) IVY – Two members of the Big Red earned All-Ivy honors following the 2009-10 season, highlighted by Lauren Benson's second-team selection. Joining Benson was All-Rookie team pick Claire Fitzpatrick.

REVIEWING THE 2009-10 SEASON – Cornell wrapped up the 2009-10 season with a 7-20 record overall and a mark of 2-12 in the Ivy League, good for seventh in the conference.

UP NEXT – The Big Red is back in action on Friday, Nov. 19, when it travels to the Nutmeg State to take on Fairfield at 7 p.m.