College Basketball

No. 21 Syracuse Basketball Storms Back to Defeat Virginia

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:15 a.m. ET

Fansided, Ty Butler/FanSided via Inside the Loud House

The 21st ranked Syracuse women’s basketball team overcame a 17-point home deficit to defeat Virginia to notch its first win of conference play.

For the No. 21 Syracuse basketball team, this had “uh oh” written all over it. The Orange managed just five points in the first quarter. You’ve read that correctly…five. And this wasn’t just an isolated situation because SU was coming off two straight losses, including the first in conference play. But led by Alexis Peterson’s 21 points and eight assists, Syracuse overcame a 17-point deficit and an abysmal start to defeat the Cavaliers 54-49.

Peterson was the only player to score in double figures for the Orange. She continues to excel this season, averaging 23.3 points per game on 45 percent shooting.

“That’s not exactly how you win a game, shooting nine percent in the first quarter, but we did it so I guess we got the blueprint for it now,” head coach Quentin Hillsman joked following the game.

This was a huge win for the women. You certainly don’t want to start ACC play with two losses, especially when it’s such a tough division. With Syracuse coming off a trip to the national title game, the expectations are the highest for this program that its ever been. Scoring 18 points in the first half isn’t a recipe for making a statement in a big game. But what kept SU in the game was playing sound defensively. Going into the third quarter, it was just an 11 point game. I’m sure this felt like a blessing considering everything that went wrong. How do you shoot 21 percent in a half and only trail by 11?

Syracuse didn’t have the greatest second half, but did just enough to corral a victory. It t extended

More from Inside the Loud House

the home winning streak to seven games. Remember last year, this was a dominant team at the Dome (16-2).

It’s a long season indeed. Up next for Coach Q’s team is a trip to Clemson as his team looks to move ahead the .500 mark in conference play. At 10-5 (1-1 ACC), Syracuse now has a bit of momentum going forward through the gauntlet of the schedule.