Women's Basketball

Brittney Sykes leads way as Syracuse women’s basketball blows out Niagara, 109-60

Sam Ogozalek | Staff Writer

Brittney Sykes added another impressive performance to her big season on Saturday.

As a Julia Chandler 3-point attempt flew in the air, Brittney Sykes bolted to the paint. She grabbed the long rebound and flung it to the wing for Alexis Peterson, who missed the 3. But a leaping Sykes swarmed in for the board and putback to pass the 20-point threshold.

The essence of Sykes’ start to the season flashed on Saturday. She rebounded, giving her team extra scoring chances. She set up a teammates with chest passes for open 3 attempts. And she didn’t hesitate to score from all over the court.

The redshirt senior was a cog in the wheel of No. 20 Syracuse’s (8-3) 109-60 blowout victory over Niagara (4-5, 1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic) Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome. SU captured its fourth straight victory behind Sykes’ game highs in points (23), rebounds (13) and assists (eight), the first time since 2012 a player has led SU in all three categories. Sykes also has scored at least 10 points in each of SU’s last 13 games dating to last season’s NCAA Tournament.

Before the year, Sykes said she wanted to be the player she once was. That meant the player of three years ago, when, as a sophomore, she averaged a career-best 16.6 points per game. Over the last two seasons, one of which ended prematurely because of a knee injury, she hadn’t been that player.

This season, though, Sykes partners with Peterson for the nation’s top-scoring backcourt, averaging 39.6 points per game entering Saturday. Sykes captained SU, weaving her way through the Niagara defense with ease. She’s well on her way to her most productive season yet.



“I’m just trying to be (NBA star Russell) Westbrook right now,” Sykes said. “In the sense of, yeah he scores, yeah he rebounds, but he does everything else. He pats every stat and that’s what I wanted to be for my team … Just that one teammate that can do everything.”

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Sam Ogozalek | Staff Writer

Early in the game, Sykes flashed the skillset that gave Syracuse another dominant win. As she jostled for position on the low block, she grabbed a rebound over a taller player and pushed the tempo, taking point guard duties on several possessions.

Later, she knocked down a quick catch-and-shoot 3 from the right corner. A hand in her face didn’t hinder her fluid motion. Then from the wing, she beat her defender and the help defense en route to the rim for two points. Her first step was as explosive as it’s been all season.

As the first half wound down, Sykes darted in a footrace with a Niagara ball handler. She tracked her down, deflecting the ball out of bounds. It left Niagara to inbound with less than one second left and throw up a long 3 to no avail. Sykes led the Orange in the opening half with 17 points and double-digit rebounds, propelling Syracuse to 62 points — two shy of the program record for points in a half.

Sykes stood atop Syracuse’s scoring outburst even though she watched much of the fourth quarter from the bench with a game-high 23 points. The four-star recruit coming out of high school flourished in years 1 and 2 at SU, starting in 31 games as a freshman and scoring 16.6 points as a sophomore. After Saturday’s game, she’s up to 17.7 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists this year, all of which are on pace to be career highs.

“From a versatility standpoint, absolutely,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said when asked if this is her best-ever start. “From a numbers standpoint, absolutely.”

Half an hour after Syracuse’s blowout victory, Sykes reflected on the past: Her breakout sophomore season, the ACL and MCL tears that had kept from her best and the last few weeks. Looking back, she leaned in, cracked a smile and chuckled.

“I sucked at rebounding and everything else my sophomore year,” she said. “It was always there. The things I’m doing now, I could have done in past years. It was a point of mentally checking myself, talking to myself. Go do these things to be great. Get to the next level.”





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