The Syracuse women's basketball team defeated Georgetown, 86-56, Saturday afternoon in their final meeting in the Carrier Dome as conference rivals. Senior Kayla Alexander led the Orange (14-1, 2-0 BIG EAST) with her sixth double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. SU used a 30-4 run that spanned the final minute of the first half to the 12 minute mark of the second half to earn the 30-point victory, the largest margin by either team in 56-game series' history.
"I'm so proud of the effort," said head coach Quentin Hillsman. "I'm proud of what they brought to the table tonight. I thought that overall, they did a good job of handling the pressure. It's one of those things that I think that as being a pressing team ourselves is really helping us handle other team's pressure."
The 14-1 start for the Orange is the second-best start in program history behind only 2009-10 when SU started 15-1.
The Orange had five players score in double digits. Freshman Brianna Butler scored 13 points while freshman Brittney Sykes and junior Rachel Coffey had 12 apiece. Sykes also had nine-straight points in the beginning of the game for SU. Senior Carmen Tyson-Thomas scored 11 against the Hoyas.
After multiple lead changes in the first half, a 17-2 run that started with less than a minute left in the first half and continued well into the second, gave the Orange the lead for good. Pachis Roberts got the run starter responding to a three-point bucket by Sugar Roberts with her own three point shot which had SU up, 32-30.
Moments later, Sykes stole the ball on Georgetown's inbound play and dished it to Roberts underneath the basket. After being fouled on her layup, Roberts made both of her shots from the line and the Orange held on to the 34-30 lead heading into the locker room.
Brianna Butler scored her first points of the game right out of halftime, sinking a three-point shot. The Orange continued on the 17-2 run to jump to a 46-32 lead at 15:46.
Butler extended SU's lead again after scoring back-to-back three pointers to put the Orange up, 56-34, at 13:38.
SU held Georgetown scoreless for three minutes while they went on a 13-0 run. At 11:17 Jasmine Jordan hit a jumper for the Hoyas but Orange was up, 59-36.
Coffey's five straight points halfway through the second half had the Orange with a 29 point lead, 69-40.
The Orange would outscore the Hoyas 19-17 in the final ten minutes of the game, which including six points from Coffey, to secure its 86-56 triumph.
The Orange improved its shooting in the second half from 28.9% to 53.3%.
Georgetown opened up the game with a 4-0 run, but Sykes was quick to get SU points after she sank two free throws.
The Hoyas pulled ahead to a 9-4 lead but Syke's layup and three pointer off of no look pass from Butler tied up the game at 16:52, 9-9. Sykes had all of SU's points in the first 5:23 of play until Alexander's layup gave the Orange its first lead of the game, 11-9.
Georgetown would take back the lead, 17-15, after a layup by Ki-Ke Rafiu at 11:35.
After going up for a layup and being fouled following an inbounds play, Elashier Hall put SU up, 18-17 after making her foul shot. The Orange went on an 8-0 run that included a three-point basket by Coffey. Sugar Rodgers scored the Hoya's first basket in almost five minutes and cut SU's lead to 23-19 at 6:39.
Back-to-back baskets by Brittany Horne put the GU within a point of the Orange, but three-straight points by Alexander had SU with a 27-23 advantage.
The Orange scored 52 points in the second half to propel itself to its second conference win of the season.
Syracuse returns to the Carrier Dome on Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m. to host BIG EAST Opponent, DePaul (TWCS).
