Syracuse 83, North Carolina 64: Orange women head to ACC Quarterfinals

The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team had to wait one round for their first ACC Tournament opponent, but they weren’t worse for the rest. SU beat North Carolina 83-64 on Thursday night, and now move on to the ACC Quarterfinals vs. Duke.

Senior Alexis Peterson led the Orange with 29 points, on 10-of-20 shooting. Brittney Sykes (16) and Briana Day (11) also scored in double figures for Syracuse.

The Orange were up 30-23 after one quarter, and 45-34 by halftime. A huge, 33-point third quarter put things away for good in the 14-point victory.

Still, there were a few more concerning elements of the game, even in a win. Syracuse shot just 38.5 percent from the floor (UNC shot 44 percent), and only 63 percent from the free throw line. They also only managed four steals.

SU’s big advantage was on the boards. They out-rebounded the Tar Heels 50-23. Day (15) and Sykes (12) both recorded double digit rebounds. Day recorded her seventh double-double in the past nine games (and third straight).

Next up for the Orange (21-9, 11-5) is Duke (25-4, 13-3), the third seed in the ACC Tournament this year. The Blue Devils defeated Syracuse in Durham, 72-55, just a few weeks ago. Friday’s game tips off at 8 p.m. ET on RSN.