Strong Second Half Fuels Orange

Sunday, December 28

Syracuse, N.Y.

6 p.m.

Syracuse University

9-3

Cornell

6-5

Cornell

Syracuse

12/28/2014 8:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Syracuse defeats Cornell, 76-59, on Sunday night

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 22/23 Syracuse University women's basketball team outscored Cornell, 40-14, over the final 15:46 of play en route to a 76-59 victory on Sunday night in the Carrier Dome. The team rallied from its first halftime deficit of the year to record its ninth win of the season.

"We played a really sloppy first half, obviously," head coach Quentin Hillsman stated. "We didn't play well in the first half. Second half, we really came out and did a very good job of pushing tempo, playing fast, and getting our team up and down the floor. I thought the difference in the game was just getting our tempo in the second half. I thought our kids played a really gutsy second half and they get all the credit for this win."

Sophomore guard Alexis Peterson led the squad with 18 points and five assists on the night. Peterson was one of five players in double-figures on Sunday. Junior guard Cornelia Fondren and sophomore center Briana Day each tallied double-doubles. It marked the second time in 2014-15 that both players recorded double-doubles in the same game.

After missing the first 11 games of the 2014-15 season due to an injury suffered in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, junior guard Brittney Sykes made her season debut on Sunday night. Sykes started the game, playing 18 minutes and recording two points and seven rebounds.

Cornell (6-5) led by as many as 10 points in the opening half. It marked only the third time in 2014-15 that the team had trailed by double-digits. Sophomore guard Kerri Moran tallied 14 points in the first 20 minutes, knocking down three 3-point field goals.

Fondren and senior guard Diamond Henderson each contributed seven points off the bench to lead the host Orange (9-3) in scoring for the first half. Despite their efforts, the club found itself trailing at the halftime intermission for the first time this season. Cornell held a 34-32 edge after the opening 20 minutes of competition. The last time Syracuse trailed at halftime was in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Kentucky.

Trailing only by two points at the half, Cornell was able to stretch its lead to 45-36 with 16:28 remaining in regulation. The Big Red were able to push ahead largely in thanks to a 7-0 run.

Syracuse used a run of its own to take its first lead since the 18:01 mark of the first half. The Orange rattled off 12 straight points en route to a 48-45 advantage with 13:54 left. Fondren and Henderson each had 3-point plays in the run.

The Orange would not give up the lead for the remainder of the game. With one non-conference home game remaining in the regular season, Syracuse has defeated 68 consecutive non-conference opponents at home.

The Syracuse women's basketball team is back in action on Tuesday night when it hosts Central Connecticut State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. It marks the team's final non-conference contest of the 2014-15 regular season.