The game was tied at 40. Syracuse squandered the commanding lead it established in the first quarter. The next 15 minutes would determine the outcome of the game.

The Orange ramped it up. Brittney Sykes scored seven straight points to give SU a lead by that many over Fordham. Its full-court press forced turnover after turnover, further pushing the score into SU’s favor.

No. 23 Syracuse (4-1) finished the game outscoring the Rams 36-14 and cruising to its fourth win of the year. Sykes and fellow starting guard Alexis Peterson combined for 43 points in the Orange’s 76-54 win over Fordham (2-3) on Saturday night in Las Vegas. SU scored 34 points off turnovers, which sparked the offensive explosion after making 17 steals.

“We just got out in front and got our pressure set,” Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said of a 23-2 run that spanned the end of the third quarter and into the fourth. “That was the difference in the game.”

At halftime, the Orange led by just six. The Rams stayed competitive thanks to a well-rounded night from its top-three scorers who put up 12 points apiece. For the majority of the first three quarters, though, SU wasn’t able to fully set up its press, Hillsman said. But once it did, Syracuse took off.

It’s this team’s signature, and while it took a bit longer than usual to kick in, the Orange successfully closed out the inferior Rams.

But the press couldn’t have worked unless SU made its shots. The season is barely two weeks old and already, the Orange has shown an offensive versatility that will pay dividends later on.

In its season-opening win over Rhode Island, Peterson and Sykes combined for five points while shooting 2-for-21 from the field. With Brianna Butler tying her season low in points on Saturday, it was Peterson and Sykes who picked up the slack by shooting a combined 14-of-17 from the field.

“They were just attacking,” Hillsman said of his starting backcourt duo. “They had some opportunities and they just did an awesome job of doing that. We can be aggressive and get to the rim. If we can do that, we’re going to be in good shape.”

Syracuse’s formula was a simple one against Fordham. As the Orange made more shots, it had more opportunities to press, cause turnovers and ultimately score more often.

SU’s only loss came against No. 4 Tennessee and against four unranked teams, Syracuse has taken care of business. The Orange hope to pull off an upset No. 6 Maryland on Wednesday night, something it couldn’t do against the Volunteers.

“We have to continue to just be aggressive,” Hillsman said, “let our pressure get up and down the floor and just play hard every possession.”

Published on November 28, 2015 at 10:57 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds