Syracuse women’s basketball thrashes UMBC, 82-50

As the snow fell outside the Carrier Dome on Saturday morning, the Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team was busy collecting its sixth consecutive win, downing UMBC 82-50. It was Syracuse’s fourth straight victory of at least 30 points.

It was one of the few games this season where the Orange enjoyed a legitimate size advantage. Syracuse won the rebounding margin 41-32 and posted 40 points in the paint.

All five Orange starters came into the game averaging double-figures, with the trend continuing on Saturday.

Chrislyn Carr tied the game-high with 18 points on six-of-10 shooting from the field and a three-of-four effort from deep. Christianna Carr added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Naje Murray chipped in with 15.

Teisha Hyman had 14 points and seven assists, and Alaysia Styles enjoyed a good day down low with 12.

Syracuse (8-4) shot 31-of-68 (46 percent) from the field and nine-of-26 from beyond the arc. Against a 2-3 zone from the Retrievers, the Orange dished out 23 assists, providing helpers on 74 percent of their makes from the field. Syracuse’s ball movement has picked up during its winning streak, with the Orange averaging almost 23 assists per game in their last six triumphs.

UMBC (1-9) endured its ninth-straight loss, shooting 41 percent from the floor but just three-of-15 from three. The Retrievers struggled mightily against Syracuse’s pressure, turning the ball over 27 times in 40 minutes.

Onome-Juliet Esadah had 18 points on six-of-eight shooting in the defeat.

Syracuse wasted no time in building a double-digit lead. Threes from both Carrs were part of a 10-0 run in the opening three-and-a-half minutes. Long-range shots from Teisha Hyman and Murray helped the home team to a 26-10 lead after the first quarter.

The Orange continued to roll in the second 10 minutes, building the lead to 20 as Christianna Carr and Styles were in control down low. Chrislyn Carr made it 43-19 with a layup with two minutes left, and Syracuse took a 44-23 into the intermission.

SU’s defense forced a whopping 15 first-half turnovers, capitalizing with 14 points off those giveaways.

Syracuse maintained its defensive pressure in the third quarter but had a difficult time getting more separation. Chrislyn Carr boosted the lead to 63-38 with a layup with just over two minutes left in the period as the Orange took a 23-point advantage into the fourth.

Vonn Read emptied his relatively short bench in the final 10 minutes, with reserves Alaina Rice, Nyah Wilson, and Julianna Walker all getting run. The lead grew to 30 at 76-46 with a score from Murray, and the Orange were able to coast home from there.

Syracuse has one more non-conference game before getting into the thick of ACC play. The Orange will face winless Siena on Wednesday afternoon at the Dome. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.