Syracuse 88, Clemson 62: Orange dominate Tigers from start to finish

The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team headed down to Clemson on short rest Thursday night. But the small window between games didn’t matter a whole lot. No. 25 SU dominated the Clemson Tigers 88-62, improving their record to 11-5 overall, and 2-1 in the ACC.

Syracuse got the rout started early, grabbing a 21-8 lead after one quarter, and a 43-31 advantage at halftime. If there were any doubts remaining, they were put away quickly in the third. The Orange outscored the Tigers 24-10 and coasted to the end from there.

To little surprise, Alexis Peterson had yet another 20-point game. The senior guard has scored 21 or more in five consecutive games now, and 11 of 16 games overall. Her 23.2 points per game are among the highest average in the country.

Briana Day (22) and Brittney Sykes (21) also scored 20 points on the evening. Syracuse out-rebounded Clemson 38-31 and also had 14 steals (the Tigers had 22 turnovers overall). Both of those advantages are hallmarks of any Orange win, especially over the last couple years.

Along with the typical positives that come with a victory, tonight’s was a special occasion for Head Coach Quentin Hillsman. Coach Q recorded his 230th win at SU, which is the most all-time for an Orange women’s basketball coach. The team’s Twitter feed was quick to congratulate him -- appropriately featuring some standard, meme-worthy Q expressions.

Coach Hillsman spoke with Brian Higgins about the accomplishment below. Syracuse has another short break before its next game, at home vs. Boston College on Sunday, January 8.