Box Score SYRACUSE, N.Y. (Nov. 23, 2015)-Morgan State knew coming into tonight's non-conference game at No. 23 Syracuse, it would take a lot to defeat the Orange at home. Syracuse, who coming in had won 69 straight non-conference games at home hadn't lost since 2006 – a 56-42 defeat to Canisius.
If only the first and third quarters of the game counted, then Morgan State would have pulled off the program's biggest upset ever. In those two quarters, Morgan State scored 21 points each, while holding the Orange to a combined 36 points.
Unfortunately for Morgan State, all four quarters must be played and count. And it was those second and fourth quarters, along with its depth, where Syracuse did its damage. As a result, the Orange, who used an 11-0 run in the second quarter and scored a season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter, defeated the visiting Lady Bears by a score of 90-61 inside the Carrier Dome.
The 31 points were the most scored in a quarter this season by Syracuse since women's basketball transitioned from halves to quarters in 2015-16.
Alexis Peterson scored a team-high 17 points for the Orange, who improved to 2-1 on the season and picked up their 70th straight non-conference home win. Brianna Butler, who knocked down five of Syracuse's 13 three-pointers, finished with 15 points and Briana Day added 11 points and had a game-high five blocked shots. Brittney Sykes tallied 11 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to help the hosts hold a 59-50 rebounding advantage over Morgan State.
Behind the play of Tykyrah Williams and Braennan Farrar, Morgan State (1-3), was able to compete with the 23rd-ranked Orange and even held a 21-19 advantage after the first quarter. Williams led the way, coming off the bench to score a career- and game-high 25 points. Williams connected on 9-of-14 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from three-point range and added eight rebounds and five assists, both team highs. Farrar added 22 points, including 5-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc to go with seven rebounds and two assists.
With the score tied at 24 all with 8:28 to play in the second quarter, Syracuse used the 11-0 run to gain control of the game and take a 42-27 advantage at the intermission.
Morgan State shot 29 percent (20-of-69) for the game and was 8-of-19 (42 percent) from three-point range. Syracuse shot 34 percent (28-of-81) from the floor, including 13-of-43 (30 percent) from the three-point arc.
The Lady Bears return to action against Colorado State on Friday, Nov. 27 in the opener of the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Md. Tip-off is slated for 3:30 p.m. Morgan State will conclude the tournament with a match-up against either host Navy or Siena.
