#23 Syracuse Opens at Rhode Island Friday

No. 23/RV Syracuse (0-0, 0-0) at Rhode Island (0-0, 0-0)
Game Details: Friday, November 13 | 5:00 p.m.
Location: Ryan Center | Kingston, R.I.
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Audio | Video | @CuseWBB Twitter
Game Notes: Syracuse | Rhode Island

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 23/RV Syracuse University women's basketball team opens its 2015-16 season on Friday night at Rhode Island. Tipoff is slated for 5:00 p.m. at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I.

Brian Higgins '04 will be on the call live on the Syracuse IMG Sports Network. As always, follow @CuseWBB on Twitter for live in-game updates.

Syracuse is coming off its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, a program-first. The Orange returns all five starters from the 2014-15 campaign. SU also adds 2013-14 All-ACC honoree Brittney Sykes, who returns after missing most of last season due to injury.

Rhode Island finished the 2014-15 season with a 17-13 overall record. The Rams finished in sixth place in the Atlantic 10 after recording an 8-8 conference mark. Sophomore guard Charise Wilson was named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Second Team after averaging 16.1 points per game in 2014-15.

Let's Get It Started
Syracuse owns a 31-13 (.704) overall record in season-opening games. Last season, the Orange recorded a 59-42 victory against Fordham in its first game of the year. Guard Alexis Peterson scored a team-best 19 points in her second start of her collegiate career.

Under head coach Quentin Hillsman, Syracuse has an 8-1 overall mark in season openers. The team lost its first game under Hillsman, losing to Penn State, 71-46, on Nov. 12, 2006. Since then, Syracuse has won its first game of the year in its last eight campaigns.

A Decade of Q
Head coach Quentin Hillsman begins his 10th season at the helm of the Syracuse University women's basketball program. Entering the 2015-16 season, Hillsman owns a 189-108 (.636) overall as the head coach of the Orange. He owns the best winning percentage in Syracuse history and is 11 wins shy of 200 collegiate coaching victories.

Under the guidance of Hillsman, Syracuse has emerged onto the national scene. Prior to his appointment as the head coach of the Orange program, SU had never appeared in either the Associated Press or USA Today Coaches Poll top 25. In seven of his 10 years at the helm, Syracuse has appeared in the top 25 of either the AP Poll or coaches' rankings.

Hillsman has led the Orange to four of its seven NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. In addition, Syracuse has won its first two NCAA Tournament contests under Hillsman. SU is one 19 schools nationally to have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons.

For the latest news on the Syracuse women's basketball program, follow /SyracuseWBB on Facebook, @CuseWBB on Instagram, and @CuseWBB on Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Peterson

Brittney Sykes

Syracuse University Athletics