Photo courtesy cuse.com
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Entering play Sunday, the Syracuse women's basketball team had won 17 consecutive home games. Its task was to defeat an unranked North Carolina squad that knocked them off 77-73 in Chapel Hill last January.
From the opening tip, one thing became abundantly clear. Brittney Sykes was about to make the Tar Heels the Orange's 18th straight victim in the Carrier Dome. The Orange cruised throughout to a 95-64 victory.
"We're playing well,"Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "Being nine and four in the best conference in the country is phenomenal."
Starting strong
After a back and forth first six minutes, the Orange put the Tar Heels behind the eight-ball. Keyed by the dribble-drives of Sykes and the perimeter shooting of her backcourt partner Alexis Peterson, S.U. went on a 20-4 run to take a commanding 31-14 lead. The pair combined for 29 of the team's 43 points in the first half.
The final stages of the first quarter and early ones of the second represented a master class put on by Sykes. Seemingly running circles around the UNC defense, she took total control of the game.
"When she goes to her right, she's unstoppable," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said.
That's exactly what she did. The young bigs that North Carolina featured were helpless in attempting to catch up to her. In many cases, they were forced to foul (Sykes would go on to shoot 17 free throws in the game, making 13).
"I was just taking what the defense was giving me," Sykes said. "And they were giving me the open lane. If they cut it off, I kicked it out to the shooters and we just played off the ball."
Putting down the throttle
To start the third quarter, the Tar Heels mounted an 11-1 run to draw within 12. Redshirt sophomore guard Paris Kea knocked down a pair of jumpers to lead the way (she finished with a team high 27 points).
But Sykes made sure the rally would go no further. She thunderously rejected a jump-shot from UNC's Taylor Koenen to swing the momentum pendulum back to Syracuse. Then, she took two assists from Peterson, after her teammate came away with steals on back-to-back possessions, and converted them into easy lay-ins. The rout was back on.
Size matters
Syracuse also held a decisive advantage in rebounding. The Orange pulled down 50 boards in the game, compared to just 30 for UNC. 16 of S.U.'s boards belonged to Briana Day, a season high for the senior. Day also scored 16 points, which made this the fifth straight game in which she, Sykes and Peterson have each gone for double figures.
"Anytime we can get our big three scoring and affecting the game like that, we are going to have a good game," S.U. coach Quentin Hillsman said.
One final dagger
As the fourth quarter wound down, Sykes tied her career high point total (31) on a free throw. Every time she touched the ball after that, the crowd rose in anticipation, hoping to see history. The fans got their wish when Sykes drove towards the basket, got bumped on her right arm and still managed to knock down a floater. She completed the three-point play to reach a new personal best of 34 points. The crowd gave her a standing ovation as she left the game with two minutes to go.
What's next
The Orange faces one of its toughest tests of the year next Sunday when No. 7 Notre Dame (who beat Georgia Tech 90-69 Sunday) visits the Carrier Dome. The game tips at 5:00 and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Meanwhile, North Carolina will host that same Georgia Tech squad Thursday at 7:00.
No comments:
Post a Comment