Syracuse 81, Miami 48: Sykes leads dominant Orange win

The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team had lost two straight going into Sunday’s game against the 14th-ranked Miami Hurricanes, and were desperate for a win.

Coming away with a resounding 81-48 victory at the Carrier Dome, they got what they wanted and then some. SU improves to 14-7 (5-3 in the ACC) on the season, nabbing their second top-25 win in the last two weeks.

Syracuse came out firing right away, grabbing a six-point advantage after one quarter, and extending that to a 45-29 lead at the half. SU’s defense then clamped down even further in the second half, holding Miami to just 19 points. The ‘Canes shot just 30.5 percent from the floor on the game.

Brittney Sykes led the way for the Orange, scoring 29 points on 9-for-17 shooting. Alexis Peterson also topped 20 for the game, tallying 24 points on 6-for-17 shooting herself. It was the senior guard’s fourth straight game scoring 20 or more, and ninth time in 10 games topping 20 as well.

The Orange’s 33-point blowout is the second-largest win over a ranked opponent in program history. Last year’s 36-point victory over Duke being the only game with a larger margin.

Sykes was the leading scorer, but also contributed elsewhere. She grabbed 11 rebounds and added four assists, three blocks and three steals as well.

Syracuse’s challenging slate continues in the coming weeks. They’ll have six days off before their next matchup with 16th-ranked Virginia Tech on the road, then face Pitt and BC before a game against a ranked Duke squad.