#25/24 Syracuse to Host Wake Forest

No. 25/24 Syracuse (11-5, 1-2) vs. Wake Forest (9-8, 0-3)
Game Details: Thursday, January 15 | 7 p.m.
Location: Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Audio | Video | @Cuse Twitter | @CuseWBB Twitter
Television: Time Warner Cable SportsChannel | ESPN3
Game Notes: Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 25/24 Syracuse University women's basketball team plays its second straight game in the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome when it hosts Atlantic Coast Conference-foe Wake Forest on Thursday night. The game is slated to begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and ESPN3.

u In Syracuse's last game, the squad scored its first victory in conference competition, defeating Virginia, 70-58, on Jan. 11. Sophomore guard Alexis Peterson led the team with 16 points on the day and classmate Briana Day posted her eighth double-double of the 2014-15 season against the Cavaliers.

u The Orange is looking to even its record in ACC play when it hosts the Demon Deacons on Thursday night. Syracuse is currently in 11th place in the 15-team league, while Wake Forest is two spots back after a 0-3 start to conference play.

Sophomore Sensation
Sophomore guard Alexis Peterson has shown the ability to do it all in her first season as a full-time starter. Peterson currently leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals. She averages 14.2 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.56 steals per contest for the 2014-15 season. Peterson has led the squad in scoring a team-high five times and cracked double-digits in all but two contests, including the past nine straight games.

Peterson currently leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in steals and ranks 55th in the nation in that category. She holds the second-best assist average in the ACC and 63rd-best mark in NCAA Division I women's basketball. Her 14.2 points per game average ranks 15th in the conference, as well.

Against Virginia on Jan. 11, Peterson tallied a team-best 16 points in the club's first ACC win of the 2014-15 season. She scored the first 10 points of the game for Syracuse, as the squad took a 10-2 lead against the Cavaliers and never trailed.

At the Junkanoo Jam, the Columbus, Ohio native put on a show en route to All-Junkanoo Jam Team accolades. Against East Carolina on Nov. 27, she matched her career-high with 19 points on the day. She came right back with a great showing against No. 1/2 South Carolina on the very next day. In a personal-best 40 minutes, she dished out nine assists and pulled down six rebounds, both of which were career-highs, in a last-minute loss to the Gamecocks.

In her second start of her collegiate career, Peterson had a career-day in the season-opening victory against Fordham on Nov. 16. Peterson led the team with a personal-best 19 points against the Rams. She made a career-best eight field goals on the day, as well.

From Downtown
In the past two games, the Syracuse women's basketball team has been red-hot from beyond the 3-point line. The Orange knocked down a season-best 13 3-point field goals at No. 13/12 Duke on Jan. 8 and had 12 3-point field goals against Virginia on Jan. 11.

Junior guard Brianna Butler registered a personal-best seven 3-point field goals at Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Blue Devils. It marked the most 3-point field goals by a Syracuse player during the 2014-15 season. Senior guard Maggie Morrison followed that effort up by going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc against the Cavaliers for a career-best 12 points.

As a team, Syracuse averages 7.9 3-point field goals made per game during the 2014-15 campaign. The club ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in shots made from downtown and 22nd nationally.

Series Breakdown
Thursday night's matchup marks the second meeting between Syracuse and Wake Forest. Syracuse took the first meeting in the all-time series, during the 2013-14 season. Florida State and Wake Forest were the only two teams the Orange had not faced prior to its entry in the ACC last season.

In Winston-Salem, N.C., Syracuse scored a 64-54 win against Wake Forest on March 2 to close the 2014-14 regular season. Brianna Butler knocked down five 3-point field goals en route to a team-best 17-point performance.

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Players Mentioned

Brianna Butler

Briana Day

Maggie Morrison

Alexis Peterson

Syracuse University Athletics