Strong First Half Fuels #25 Orange against BC

Thursday, February 19

Syracuse, N.Y.

7 p.m.

Syracuse University

19-8, 9-5

Boston College

12-14, 4-9

Boston College

Syracuse

2/19/2015 9:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Butler breaks the Syracuse career 3-point field goals record

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Junior guard Brianna Butler made six 3-point field goals in the first half to fuel the No. 25/RV Syracuse University women's basketball team to a 73-51 victory against Boston College on Thursday night in the Carrier Dome. Butler finished with a team-high 22 points on the night.

"We're very proud of our kids out here; they really played a very tough game," head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "Overall to force 30 turnovers and really get our defense set was tremendous tonight. Obviously, Brianna shot the ball really well today. I thought that she set the tone early by taking every open shot and really being aggressive looking for a shot."

"Overall I'm just happy with the win, happy with us getting the turnovers, and us getting more possessions because that's what we had to do to win this game," added Hillsman. "With this team, we needed to get more possessions and not shoot a low percentage so we could press and do what we really needed to do."

It was a complete effort in the squad's second-to-last home contest of the 2014-15 regular season. Syracuse (19-8, 9-5) made 28-of-58 of its attempts from the field, well enough for a .483 field goal percentage. It marked its best field goal percentage in a single game during 2014-15. In addition, the Orange forced 30 turnovers against Boston College (12-14, 4-9), which was the second-most by an opposing team this year.

Butler was one point shy of matching her season-high in points and was one 3-point field goal of matching her personal-best. She also matched a career-high with five steals on the night. Senior guard Diamond Henderson finished in double-figures, scoring 11 points off the bench.

It was all Orange early in the contest on Thursday night. Butler knocked down two 3-point field goals in the first five minutes, helping the club to a 12-2 advantage. The defense was in full force, as well, not allowing a Boston College field goal until the 14:45 mark in the first half.

Butler could not miss in the opening 20 minutes. The King of Prussia, Pa. native knocked down six 3-point field goals, en route to 20 points in the first half. With her fifth 3-pointer of the night, Butler broke the program record for career 3-point field goals, eclipsing Julie McBride's mark of 229 career 3-point field goals made.

As a team, Syracuse shot 51 percent from the field in the first half, storming out to a 45-28 halftime lead. In addition, the club hit 9-of-16 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. It marked the most 3-point field goals the team has made in the first half during the 2014-15 regular season.

The Orange picked up right from where it left off in the second half. Syracuse outscored its opposition, 21-5, in the opening 10:28 of the later frame. During that stretch, seven different players scored. In total, 10 members of the Orange tallied at least two points against Boston College. From there, Syracuse was able to coast to its sixth win by at least 20 points.

The Syracuse women's basketball team will play its final home game of the 2014-15 regular season on Sunday afternoon when it hosts Pittsburgh. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and ESPN3. Seniors Tiara Butler and Henderson will be recognized for their contributions to the program prior to the start of the contest.