Syracuse women score a record 116 points over Central Connecticut State
Syracuse women rout Central Connecticut State with a record 116 points.
The Syracuse women’s basketball team rewrote the record books with the highest-scoring game in program history, blowing out Central Connecticut State 116-65 at the Dome on Sunday.
“I was really proud of the way our ladies came out and played today,” Syracuse coach Vonn Read said. “I’ve been in this game for a long time, and that’s some of the cleanest basketball that I’ve been involved in.”
The Orange reached milestones from an individual standpoint as well. Teisha Hyman had the fifth triple-double in school history, and had the first one consisting of points (27), assists (15) and steals (11). She ended up one rebound shy of the first Syracuse quadruple-double.
“Game after game, I feel like I’m improving, calming down, getting back to my old self,” said Hyman, who is getting back up to speed after missing last season due to injury. “I think it’s just a joy to play.”
Alaysia Styles scored 16 points against the Blue Devils on Sunday.
Najé Murray (10) registered the 1,000th point of her college career.
Najé Murray reached 1,000 career points, one game after Christianna Carr accomplished the same feat. Murray finished the game with 13 points and six assists.
“I never thought I could do it, it sounds crazy to me,” Murray said. “To think I’m doing it at this (Power Five) level is just extremely humbling.”
The win was the team’s third in a row, improving their record to 5-4. Stingy defense by the Orange forced 27 turnovers against the opposing Blue Devils. With that, Syracuse avoided a letdown following their upset victory over No. 18 Ohio State on Wednesday.
“We’ve got a lot of veteran kids, so they’ve been in the game, and they want to set their mark here at Syracuse,” Read said. “They showed that they will be able to come out and be focused in games like that.”
Syracuse started off quickly with a Murray three just seconds after the opening tip. The Orange stayed out in front, but the Blue Devils stayed close through the first few minutes.
The Orange picked up the pace later in the first quarter, finishing the quarter on a 13-0 run. Eleven of those points came following the first TV timeout. Syracuse forced six turnovers in the opening ten minutes and set the tone for the rest of the game.
Murray buried another three less than a minute into the second quarter to keep Syracuse’s momentum going. Chrislyn Carr hit a three at the buzzer to give the Orange their largest lead and a 65-29 halftime score. The 65 first-half points were also a school record.
Four of Syracuse’s starters scored in double-figures in the first half, led by Chrislyn Carr with 17. Syracuse shot a scorching 68% from the field during the first half, including seven 3-pointers.
Central Connecticut State began the third quarter with a couple made threes to try and get back in the game. SU soon got back on track with a 9-0 run to go up by 40. The Orange finished the quarter with a 90-46 lead.
Syracuse did not let up in the final quarter and outscored Central Connecticut State 26 to 19, bumping the final margin up to 51 points. With only eight players dressed, the Orange starters logged extra minutes despite the lopsided score.
Eden Nibbelink scored 17 points and Ashley Berube added 15 for Central Connecticut State. The Blue Devils fell to 1-5 with the loss.
The next game for the Orange comes on Dec. 8 when they host Cornell at the Dome. With a few non-conference games remaining, Syracuse gains confidence as they prepare to fully enter conference play.
“The ACC should be very worried,” Murray said. “By the time January rolls around, we’re going to be a very, very high-level basketball team.”
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