Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski
Backcourt Propels Syracuse to Round of 32
3/21/2015 10:25:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Fondren, Butler and Peterson lead 'Cuse down the stretch
With Syracuse and Nebraska going to the wire in a game which no team led by more than six, the Orange's stellar backcourt play carried the load and lifted the program to the round of 32 for the second-straight season.
Junior Cornelia Fondren posted a career-high 18 points, sophomore Alexis Peterson led all scorers with 24 points, the most by a Syracuse player in an NCAA Tournament game, and junior Brianna Butler netted 12 of her 17 points in the final 13 minutes to propel the Orange past Nebraska on Friday.
The trio combined to score the team's final 18 points and 32 of the last 34.
"They really played hard and they played with a lot of effort," said head coach Quentin Hillsman. "At the end of the day our goal was to shoot 40 percent and get turnovers. That's what we did. We shot 40 percent, we forced 19 turnovers, and we out-rebounded them. That was our game plan the entire game."
Down the stretch, the Orange held off late pushes by the Cornhuskers, including when they tied the game with 1:26 to play.
However, the group who helped lead the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win last season dug in and wouldn't allow Nebraska to take a lead late, as Butler sunk the shot that put Syracuse up for good.
"The shots weren't falling from the three for me so I knew if I had a drive, I'd have a better chance of finishing, getting contact, a foul, or being able to kick it out to one of my teammates," Butler said.
Following the shot, the Orange locked down defensively and forced a pair of turnovers in the final 50 seconds to seal the win.
"Coach pushes that so much in practice. Defense, defense, defense. He wants us to get up and press," Fondren said. "At halftime he was telling us he wasn't going to let off of us. So we had to keep pressing and keep pressing. That was the goal."
Fondren's 18 points in contest were a career-high and the second-straight game she recorded a new career-best mark.
Next, the Orange have an opportunity to avenge an early-season 67-63 loss to South Carolina in the Junkanoo Jam. It was a game the Orange led by as much as 12, and 'Cuse is eager to get another shot according to Peterson.
"It feels great. It was a tough game when we played South Carolina the first time," Peterson said. "We were the better team for 38 minutes and we had a mental lapse in the last two minutes. We're really grateful for this opportunity to come back here."
Junior Cornelia Fondren posted a career-high 18 points, sophomore Alexis Peterson led all scorers with 24 points, the most by a Syracuse player in an NCAA Tournament game, and junior Brianna Butler netted 12 of her 17 points in the final 13 minutes to propel the Orange past Nebraska on Friday.
The trio combined to score the team's final 18 points and 32 of the last 34.
"They really played hard and they played with a lot of effort," said head coach Quentin Hillsman. "At the end of the day our goal was to shoot 40 percent and get turnovers. That's what we did. We shot 40 percent, we forced 19 turnovers, and we out-rebounded them. That was our game plan the entire game."
Down the stretch, the Orange held off late pushes by the Cornhuskers, including when they tied the game with 1:26 to play.
However, the group who helped lead the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win last season dug in and wouldn't allow Nebraska to take a lead late, as Butler sunk the shot that put Syracuse up for good.
"The shots weren't falling from the three for me so I knew if I had a drive, I'd have a better chance of finishing, getting contact, a foul, or being able to kick it out to one of my teammates," Butler said.
Following the shot, the Orange locked down defensively and forced a pair of turnovers in the final 50 seconds to seal the win.
"Coach pushes that so much in practice. Defense, defense, defense. He wants us to get up and press," Fondren said. "At halftime he was telling us he wasn't going to let off of us. So we had to keep pressing and keep pressing. That was the goal."
Fondren's 18 points in contest were a career-high and the second-straight game she recorded a new career-best mark.
Next, the Orange have an opportunity to avenge an early-season 67-63 loss to South Carolina in the Junkanoo Jam. It was a game the Orange led by as much as 12, and 'Cuse is eager to get another shot according to Peterson.
"It feels great. It was a tough game when we played South Carolina the first time," Peterson said. "We were the better team for 38 minutes and we had a mental lapse in the last two minutes. We're really grateful for this opportunity to come back here."
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