#19 Orange Loses to #18 Michigan State, 89-76

Sunday, December 21

Orlando, Fla.

4 p.m.

Syracuse University

8-3

#18/21 Michigan State

8-3

Michigan State

Syracuse

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

12/21/2014 7:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Second straight loss to top-25 opponent

ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 19/22 Syracuse University women's basketball team suffered an 89-76 loss to No. 18/21 Michigan State on Sunday afternoon at the Florida Sunshine Classic. Syracuse trailed by two points with six minutes remaining, but would not cut any closer in its third loss of the season.

For the second straight game, Syracuse (8-3) took on a nationally-ranked foe. The score was tied at the half, but Michigan State (8-3) shot 59 percent from the field in the second half en route to its eighth win of the year.

Four players scored in double-figures for the Orange in the final game of the Florida Sunshine Classic. Junior guard Brianna Butler led the team in scoring with 18 points. Senior guard Diamond Henderson earned all-tournament accolades after another solid outing, tallying 16 points. Junior forward Taylor Ford set a season-high with 14 points.

Redshirt sophomore forward Aerial Powers led the Spartans with 32 points on the day, the best individual outing by an opposing player thus far this season. Powers also pulled down a team-high 17 rebounds.

Henderson picked up right where she left at the Florida Sunshine Classic. The senior guard spearheaded an early Syracuse 7-0 run, recording two fast-break lay-ups and one 3-point field goal, to give the club a 11-4 lead with 15:07 remaining in the half. She finished with a team-high nine points after the opening 20 minutes of play.

Down four points with 9:23 remaining in the opening period, Michigan State went on a 9-0 run to take a 27-22 lead with 6:50 left in the half. Syracuse chipped away at the Spartan lead, eventually tying it up, 31-31, off a jumper from sophomore guard Alexis Peterson with four seconds remaining. It marked the first time during the 2014-15 season that the Orange had not led at halftime.

Out of the half, it was a back-and-forth contest. A Butler 3-point field goal with 14:18 remaining gave the Orange a 43-41 lead, but that would be the last time the squad would hold an edge against Michigan State.

Syracuse would get as close as two points following a free throw from Peterson with 6:06 left in regulation, but would not get any closer. Butler recorded a 3-point play to make it 75-70 game with 3:47 to play, which ultimately was the Orange's final field goal.

Peterson joined Henderson on the All-Florida Sunshine Classic Team. She finished the game with 15 points.

The Syracuse women's basketball team will have the week off and will not play again until Sunday, Dec. 28 against in-state foe Cornell. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in the Carrier Dome against the Big Red.