Syracuse Women's Basketball: Orange Handle Jacksonville Behind Great Team Performance

The Syracuse Orange took down Jacksonville on Monday, December 21st. Jacksonville was previously 6-5 (now 6-6) and unranked as well. Syracuse improves to 7-3, but still only 0-3 against ranked teams. The Orange really made the difference in the 1st half, where they outscored the Dolphins 38-22. During the rest of the game Syracuse had no advantage, but cruised to a 65-49 win.

The big differences were Syracuse's nine 3-pointers. Eight of those 3-pointers came in the first half, solidifying a strong lead, to be held for the rest of the game. Jacksonville had only 1 3-pointer throughout the entire game. Fortunately some of the Orange's weaknesses were not enough to hold the powerful offense. The Dolphins out-rebounded the Orange 48-45. They also turned the ball over 20 times.

Brianna Butler led the way on offense, scoring 16 points, going 4-8 from the perimeter. 16 points is a season high for Butler. If Brianna Butler can continue to come up with strong 3-point shooting, then that will be a great scoring option for Syracuse. Brianna Butler is now 10th on the all time scoring list for Syracuse. She is nine points away from taking sole possession of the 9th spot on the list. Butler also tacked on two rebounds and an assist.

Brittney Sykes had the first double-double of the season for the Orange. She had a great all-around game with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Sykes added four steals and two assists to a stellar game. Brittney Sykes has been a key part of most of Syracuse's wins, and will continue to be when ACC play beings soon.

Syracuse returns to the Dome for their next game against the Drexel Dragons. The game is on Tuesday, December 29th and will begin at 7pm. Drexel is in the Colonial Athletic association (CAA) and has a 4-6 overall record. Last Season Drexel made it to the WNIT, losing in the first round.