Syracuse Gets First Win Against Ranked Opponent, Upsets North Carolina 61-56

By Julia Morris

Syracuse, N.Y.- No. 25 Syracuse forced 24 turnovers in its game against No. 13 North Carolina on Thursday night - and one of them ended up being the difference maker in the Orange’s upset win over the Tar Heels at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse (16-7, 6-4 ACC) found itself down for the first time in 20 minutes after UNC’s Jessica Washington hit a three-pointer to give the Tar Heels a one point lead with just over five minutes left in the game.  But a minute later, Syracuse's Cornelia Fondren made a big steal and passed the ball to Alexis Peterson, who hit a pull-up baseline jumper.  The shot put Syracuse back up by one and the Orange would never trail again, defeating the Tar Heels (18-5, 5-4 ACC) by a final score of 61-56.

“Cornelia had a steal that was big at a crucial point in the game,” Peterson said. “She passed it ahead and I was able to finish so without the steal I wouldn’t have been able to hit that shot.”

Syracuse Takes a First Half Lead  

While the game was close down the stretch, both teams were slow to get going offensively, with each only putting up two points through the first four minutes of play. 

However, with 14:15 to go UNC picked up the pace and went on a 7-0 run, sparked by back-to-back jumpers by N’Dea Bryant.  Washington hit a three pointer just over a minute later, extending the Tar Heels' lead to 11-6.

But as the first half came to a close the momentum shifted in favor of the Orange.  With 4:44 left, Peterson hit a three that put Syracuse up 20-15.  She hit another less than a minute later and finished the night shooting 3-of-5 from behind the arc.

“Petey played a good game,” Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said.  “She was really, really aggressive and she did a lot of good things with the ball in her hand.”

North Carolina, on the other hand, finished the half shooting 8-of-25 from the field.  The Tar Heels have been playing without one of their top scorers, Xylina McDaniel, since December when she hurt her lower right leg in a game against Elon.

“It hurts us not having Xylina in there, she was a major force and factor for us,” North Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell said.

And although Syracuse had the lead at the end of the first half, the Orange also struggled from the field, making only 9-of-36 shots.

“For us to win a game shooting 27 percent says a lot about our defense,” Hillsman said.

Leading the defensive efforts for the Orange were Bria Day, who returned to the lineup after being suspended for Syracuse’s last game against Florida State, and her sister Briana.  The two combined for seventeen total rebounds and limited Tar Heels’ scoring threat Stephanie Mavunga down low at the beginning of the game.  Mavunga, who averages 14 points a game, had only six points at the half.  All together, the Tar Heels finished with 19 points at the break.

UNC Makes Second Half Comeback

But the Syracuse defense was not able to completely shut down the Tar Heels in the second half.  With just over seven minutes left in the game, Washington hit a layup, which was quickly followed by a three point shot by Latifah Coleman that cut the Syracuse lead to two. 

Although Washington’s three put the Tar Heels ahead, Peterson’s basket helped the Orange re-gain momentum.  After hitting her baseline jumper, she made another layup to increase the Orange lead to 54-50 with 2:24 to go.   

“I thought down the stretch when we took the lead we would get going…but they did a great job when they had to,” Hatchell said.

Taylor Ford hit a three following Peterson’s layup to put Syracuse up seven– but it would be her last basket of the game.  Seconds after hitting the shot, she attempted another three but made contact with a UNC defender and landed hard on the floor.  Ford had to be helped off the court, and was grabbing the right side of her face as she left the game.  

“Taylor is doing well,” Hillsman said.  “She was in the locker room after the game so that’s a good sign.”

Ford has stepped up big for the Orange this season, especially since one of last year’s leading scorers, Brianna Butler, continues to struggle.  She finished the night 0-of-14 from three-point range.

“Tonight just wasn’t her night,” Fondren said. 

Butler also committed a costly foul in the game’s final seconds that allowed North Carolina to convert free throws and pull within three. 

However, the Tar Heels couldn’t complete the comeback and instead made another costly turnover.  Peterson made a steal with 11 seconds left and was quickly fouled.  Despite the pressure, she hit both free throws which sealed the victory for the Orange.

Next Up

The win was the Orange’s first against a ranked opponent, as Syracuse had previously lost to the seven ranked opponents this season.  Next up, Syracuse travels to Georgia Tech to take on the Yellow Jackets on Sunday, February 8^th. Game time is at 2 p.m.

North Carolina will also resume play on Sunday.  The Tar Heels will travel to Virginia Tech to take on the Hokies. Tip off is set for 1 p.m.