Syracuse Women's Basketball Team Dominates Dartmouth in Dome Opener, 88-47

Story. photo and video by Julianne Dellorso

SYRACUSE -  The Syracuse Orange women's basketball team (2-0) left the Dartmouth Big Green (1-2) feeling a bit blue Thursday night.  Sophomore Brittney Sykes led the way with a career-high 26 points as SU cruised past Dartmouth 88-47 in the Carrier Dome opener.

The Orange took an lead early in the game off a three-pointer from Taylor Ford as part of a 9-0 run that took place in the first five minutes of the game.

Syracuse then broke out the full court press, creating turnovers on consecutive Dartmouth possessions and finishing with easy baskets in transition.

At halftime, Taylor Ford was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, notching 12 points. Sykes led all scorers with 18.

Despite the sharp shooting early, it seemed as though both teams forgot their offense in the locker rooms. Syracuse and Dartmouth went a combined 2-for-23 from three point range in the second half. The Big Green was initially able to keep pace with the Orange, but it was only a matter of time before Syracuse defensive pressure once again caused havoc. 

The Orange offense got a boost from the defense, as a steal and dish to Sykes regained momentum. Sykes collected her 26 points in only 28 minutes of action.

With five minutes remaining in the game, Coach Quentin Hillsman had taken out all his starters. That’s when the Orange bench stepped up. Senior Phylesha Bullard had a stellar performance, scoring 9 straight points to end the game.
 

Ford went 4-for-5 on three-pointers for the night, missing her last and only attempt in the second half.

Shakeya Leary contributed a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds, half of which were offensive boards.

Freshman Isabella Slim struggled from the field but was an impressive 6-for-8 from the free throw line, totaling 10 points for the game.

Defense was the driving force in this game.  Syracuse's full-court press forced 22 turnovers and had 13 steals.

"I think our defense was great. I thought we got a lot of traps," said Brianna Butler, who finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. "We got a lot of back court 10-second calls. So I think that our defense helped definitely into transition for Brittney to get out and everyone to run the floor."

"If we’re going to play fast, going to play up and down the court, we have to play numbers," Hillsman said. "We gotta play our bench players, we gotta play our subs. They gotta get in the game and be productive. We can go 9 or 10 deep easy. Every night. And that’s what we’re really getting towards."

Up next, the Orange women will take on the Cornell Big Red in the Dome. Tip off is set for Monday at 4:30 p.m. 

Coach Q, Shekaya Leary, Brittney Sykes, and Brianna Butler Post-Game