The Orange end their losing streak and are back in the win column after defeating the Colgate Raiders 79-57 in the Carrier Dome. The Orange now are 3-1 at home and 3-4 on the season.
Syracuse came back to the Dome on a three game losing streak, dropping a trio in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. They lost to Buffalo, Minnesota and #23 South Florida.
Colgate was off to a good start leading Syracuse 16-11 in the first quarter. Naje Murray had ten of the first fifteen points in the first quarter as the Orange came out of the game slow. By the end of the first quarter, Syracuse led 22-18. They never trailed again in the game.
Overall, Chrislyn Carr led the Orange with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. This is Carr’s second straight game with at least 20 points scoring 23 last time out against Buffalo. She has led the way on the offensive side of the ball all season with 14 points per game while shooting over 45% from the field and 40% from three.
Alaysia Styles dominated the glass with a career-high 15 rebounds. Seven of her rebounds came on the offensive end which led to nine second chance points. The Orange also controlled the interior, outscoring Colgate 44-24 in the paint. However, the Orange did get rebounded overall, 43-40. It’s one of the biggest weak spots this team has, they don’t have a player over 6’3”.
On the defensive side, Alaina Rice and Chrislyn Carr both had four steals as the Orange defense forced 19 turnovers. Syracuse also held the Raiders under 30% from the three point line and shooting 2-16 in the second and third quarters.
The biggest storyline coming into this season was the lack of returners. The Orange were without Priscilla Williams who was the Orange’s leading returning scorer and graduate transfer Jayla Thornton. Both were sidelined with an undisclosed injury. After the game, Coach Read said they are still day to day and will re-evaluate their status before the next game.
Next up, Syracuse will host #21 Ohio State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ACC Network. The lone ranked opponent Syracuse has faced this season was #23 South Florida who the Orange struggled against losing 77-53. The Buckeyes will come into the Dome undefeated at 5-0. They have won every game by at least 23 points.