Syracuse Women's Basketball: No. 19 Orange Routs Coppin State, Wins Second Straight

On a night where much of the bench either was in foul trouble or frankly was under-performing, Syracuse's stepped up big time to help defeat Coppin State 88-56. Taylor Ford put up 21 points, a new career-high, adding four rebounds and shooting 80% from the field in what was a huge performance. Cornelia Fondren scored nine, in addition to grabbing nine boards with seven assists. Julia Chandler contributed to the beat down of the Eagles with 11 points, three 3-point makes, and four rebounds. If we continue to see key showings from the bench, that will definitely improve Syracuse's ability.

Coach Quentin Hillsman praised the bench, citing having "a great 7,8,9 and 10" gives the 19th-ranked Orange an advantage in most games. Having such a deep team this season "keeps everyone fresh." Alexis Peterson, who has been one of the Orange's most consistent players this year, got had fewer minutes than her season average due to some early fouls. She mentioned after the game how Syracuse "wears teams out." This was surely the case against the Eagles. Syracuse withered Coppin State's defense during the whole game, and it really showed during the fourth quarter. The Orange outscored the Eagles by 16 points in the fourth alone; through the first through third quarters, Syracuse outscored Coppin State by 16. Peterson also indicated that the tough full court press defense is difficult to score on for an entire game.

Brianna Butler scored 11 points shooting 3-8 from the perimeter. She really started heating up during the end of the game, making her only threes within the last 13 minutes of the game. Briana Day was playing very aggressively to start the game, picking up a two quick fouls. Still, she got four rebounds, in a game shortened by fouls.

Syracuse's last game was a home showdown against in-state foe Stony Brook. Syracuse won 64-49 to cap of its 11th consecutive win against other New York schools. Syracuse has now won two games in a row overall.

Syracuse's next opponent is the no. 24 Arizona State Sun Devils. They will play in the Carrier Dome on Saturday, December 12, at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be on ESPN3. This game is the "Stars & Stripes/Team Day."