For the Syracuse women’s basketball team this year, three appears to be the unlucky number.

After closing to within three of Siena late in the second half and losing by three to Harvard, Syracuse was within three of No. 8 Vanderbilt late in Tuesday night’s game.

But just like the outcome in each of the previous two contests, Syracuse couldn’t get any closer, losing to Vanderbilt, 73-65, at Manley Fieldhouse.

‘This is not indicative of what kind of basketball team we are,’ Syracuse head coach Marianna Freeman said. ‘If other people are looking at our record and thinking that this is the kind of team we are, they’re dead wrong.’

The Orangewomen were down, 64-50, with just 5:27 to play in the game. But Syracuse (0-3) made a late run, outscoring Vanderbilt (2-0), 13-2. The Orangewomen came within their doomed digit – three – after a Shannon Perry lay-up with two minutes left in the game.

On that lay-up, Perry went down hard on the floor after contact underneath. Perry remained on the ground for several minutes, screaming in pain while clutching her right shoulder. It’s the same shoulder that forced Perry to red-shirt the 2000-2001 season.

Though it appeared to be a serious injury, Perry returned less then a minute later.

‘She’s just a fragile basketball player,’ Freeman said ‘You know that we’re in our third game of the year, but for her body, it seems like the 28th game of the year. She’s a trooper and she plays hard all the time. And she wants to be on the floor all the time. She doesn’t back down from playing because she’s pain.’

After getting within three, Syracuse was outscored by Vanderbilt, 7-2, before the final buzzer sounded.

Maja Omanovic did not play after starting the first two games. Freshman Jill Norton started in her place and did not impress. Norton ended up 0-2 from the field and committed two turnovers in 12 minutes of action.

Fellow freshman Tierra Jackson was a spark off the bench, scoring 16 points and snatching 11 rebounds, good enough numbers for her first-ever double-double.

Both Jackson and Norton played well against national player of the year candidate Chantelle Anderson. Anderson, Vanderbilt’s center, often found herself trapped when she caught the ball on the baseline. She was sometimes met by as many as four defenders when she got the ball on the block. Anderson fouled out after just 16 minutes on the court. She had four offensive fouls.

‘They have tough post players,’ Jackson said. ‘I was just doing my best to front (Anderson) and deny her the ball.’

‘Sure it’s frustrating,’ Anderson said. ‘I’m used to playing 35 minutes. I played 16 minutes. I played well for my 16 minutes (on 5-7 shooting), but I just wasn’t able to play my game. I have to get used to it because that’s going to be happening to me all season. They’re going to be putting three or four guys on me. It’s just tough.’

Syracuse dropped to 6-4 in home openers under Marianna Freeman.

‘We had a lot of energy tonight,’ Freeman said. ‘We improved in a lot of respects. We’re a young team and we’re getting better every day.’

Published on November 26, 2002 at 12:00 pm