'Cuse Tops Texas to Open Paradise Jam, 77-65

Thursday, November 28

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

8:15 p.m.

Syracuse University

6-0

Texas

3-2

Texas

Syracuse

11/28/2013 10:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

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ST. THOMAS, U.S.V.I. - Sophomores Brianna Butler and Brittney Sykes combined for 35 points to lead Syracuse women's basketball (6-0) to a 77-65 victory vs. Texas (3-2) in the Orange's first game of the Paradise Jam on Thursday at the UVI Sports & Fitness Center.

Butler scored 18 points and Sykes tallied 17 to lead four Orange in double-figures. La'Shay Taft scored 15 points, all in the second half, and Rachel Coffey netted a season-high 13 points to go with a team-best four assists.

The Orange continues play at the Paradise Jam on Friday when it faces Memphis (3-3) at 8:15 p.m. ET. The game will be webcast live on YouTube Live Sports and ParadiseJam.com.

Syracuse used some hot 3-point shooting in the second half to turn what was a five-point halftime lead into what eventually grew into a 23-point advantage with 3:21 to go before Texas closed the game on a 17-8 run, resulting in the 12-point Orange win.

With SU up seven, Taft caught fire from the outside, hitting three 3-pointers in a one-minute span to give the Orange a 48-34 lead with 12:33 left. Butler made it four threes in a row at the 10:55 mark to make it a 17-point lead, 51-34, with 11:04 left.

Coffey hit a jumper with 4:19 left that extended the Orange lead to 21, 65-44, before it reach its high of 23, 69-46, with 3:21 to go on two Coffey free throws.

Texas struggled against Syracuse's 2-3 zone, committing 23 turnovers to the Orange's 12, resulting in a 24-14 SU advantage in points off turnovers. The Longhorns shot 36.8 percent overall, including 8-of-14 from 3-point range, while Syracuse shot 41.8 percent from the field and 8-of-22 from behind the arc.

Both teams struggled to find their shooting touch early on, with the Orange taking its first lead, 5-3, on a Sykes basket just under two minutes in. The Longhorns took the lead back, 15-13 on a 3-pointer Brady Sanders at the 10:08 mark.

The Orange went on a 16-3 run over a 4:32 span to take a 29-18 lead with 3:58 left in the opening half. Brianna Butler led the charge with five points in the run, but Texas responded with the final six points of the half, holding SU without a field goal for the final 5:56 to trim the Orange's lead to 29-24 at the break.

The Longhorns committed 12 turnovers that led to 15 of Syracuse's 29 points in the first 20 minutes. Brianna Butler led the way with nine points, while Coffey and Sykes each had five.