Syracuse Leaves Winston-Salem Perfect 2/2: Orange Women Beat Wake Forest 91-65

Story and photo by Lindsey Horsting

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Syracuse University's Women's Basketball team ran out to a quick lead then held off a second half rally by Wake Forest's Demon Deacons before pulling away to a 91-65 win Sunday afternoon.

The win made it two wins in two days for SU at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, as the Orange men beat Wake there on Saturday, 83-55.

The Orange broke the ice with an 8-0 scoring run and its defining pressure defense that had the Demon Deacons on their heels. 


Syracuse did a good job of controlling the tempo, head coach Quentin Hillsman said.

 

“A lot of times pressure isn’t about getting the steal, it’s about speeding the game up.”

Wake Forest head coach Jen Hoover expected better of her team early in the contest.

“I was disappointed with our defensive intensity early because our whole game plan coming in was to not give up the three,” Hoover said.  “They got some wide open looks and they’re going to knock those down.”

Syracuse shot 15-for-31 from the three-point line.

Wake Forest’s sophomore guard Amber Campbell scored a career-high 25 points, 19 of those in the second half.   Syracuse saw five players scoring in double figures.

First Half

The Orange (14-4, 4-1 ACC) started the game with that 8-0 run within the first 1:30 of play.  Red shirt junior Brittney Sykes came out hot, scoring a three followed by a three from senior guard Brianna Butler and two from junior center Briana Day.  Butler was 4-for-5 beyond the arc in the first quarter for 12 points to close the quarter with Syracuse ahead 26-13.

“I think my teammates did a really good job of finding me,” Butler said.  “We practice that in practice, and we were able to execute that tonight.”

It was a physical game and the Demon Deacons (9-9, 0-5 ACC) battled back in the second quarter, but the Orange continued to pressure them.  Sykes went down grabbing her left leg with 2:34 in the half after getting tangled up in transition down the floor.  She returned to the game in the second half.  The Orange closed the quarter leading 46-27.

Second Half

The Demon Deacons went basket-for-basket with the Orange in the third quarter and outscored Syracuse 24-22.  Campbell had just six points in the first half, but added 11 in the third quarter.  She got to the rim easily, capitalizing on breakdowns in Syracuse’s transition defense.

 

“Just really proud of Amber…I just felt like she never quit,” Hoover said.  “She kept playing hard, kept attacking, kept getting to the rim.”

The fourth quarter was scoreless until 7:50 when junior guard Alexis Peterson went to the line knocking down a free throw.  Wake went on a 8-0 run with Peterson on the bench to cut the Orange lead to 12, (71-59), but that’s the closest the Demon Deacons would get the rest of the game as coach Hillsman subbed her back in. 

“Petey brings a sense of calmness to them,” Hoover said.

Both teams were in double bonus with four minutes remaining.  The Orange went to the free throw line eight times and shot 14-for-16; Peterson made eight of those free throws.  Wake Forest got to the line only twice, going 4-for-4.

Peterson and senior guard Cornelia Fondren successfully controlled the backcourt in the last four minutes of the game.

“We were up so it was important for us to take care of the ball and get decent shots,” Peterson said.

“There’s so much experience there, and they can both score, they can shoot.  They play really well together,” Hoover said.

Standout Performances

Wake Forest’s Campbell led all scorers with 25 points. 

Five Orange players scored in double digits with Butler and Peterson contributing 19 points each.  Red shirt senior guard Maggie Morrison and Sykes each scored 11 points.  Fondren had 10.

Up Next

The Orange travels to South Bend, Indiana to play No. 3 ranked Notre Dame Thursday Jan 21 at 7 p.m. in The Joyce Center.

Wake Forest is at home Wednesday night at 7:00 to take on in-state rival North Carolina.