Syracuse Routes UMBC For Sixth Straight Win

The Orange cruised to an easy victory over the Retrievers on Saturday.

Syracuse women's basketball picked up its sixth straight win by knocking off UMBC 82-50 in the Carrier Dome on Saturday before a sparser than normal crowd. Perhaps the tightened restrictions of the Covid-19 guidelines, the snowy weather or the holiday season played a role in the turnout. However, none of these factors stopped the Orange from an easy victory.

Guards Chrislynn Carr (18), Christianna Carr (17) and Naje Murray (15), led the team with in scoring

Teisha Hyman, who added 14 points, said she is confident in the way she and her teammates are playing and looks forward to facing Siena on Wednesday.

“I don’t think anything needs to change,” Hyman said in the post-game press conference. “I think we’re on a roll, just keep playing the way we’ve been playing.”

The Orange players are wrapping up the Fall semester of the academic school year and this week in particular, has been intense on and off the court.

“It’s been hard this week, due to finals and a busy schedule,” Hyman said. “But [I] try to stay in the gym and really focus and mentally prepare, take a break and just come on and be ready to play.”

The Orange forced 27 turnovers against UMBC, which turned into 21 Syracuse points as the pressure zone frustrated the Retrievers all game. 

“One of our things we do every game, like our non-negotiables, is 25 turnovers, we try to force 25,” Naje Murray said. “So, that’s kind of the standard we’ve set, however we can do that.”

As the season has progressed, the team of mostly new players compared to a season ago has gelled. Now they are more comfortable playing together within the system. 

“We have a really quick front line in our press with the back line of Chrissy and Alaysia and it's pretty hard to get the ball past half court,” Murray said. “And we prioritize that, we talk about it often and the results show.”

While some non-negotiables are necessary for every game, adjusting playing styles in order to leverage UMBC was something the team prepared for all week.

“We’re really good about knowing WHO we’re playing,” Murray said. “We scout how their guards are. Can they dribble? Can they handle the pressure? Yada, yada, yada and we just pounce on them with that. Teisha and Chris kind of get us started up there and everyone just kind of follows suit.”

Hyman does a little bit of everything. She added 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five assists on Saturday just two games removed from a triple double. 

“My first shot is usually a three,” Hyman said. “If I see it go in, it kind of just sets the tone for myself, that I’m ready.”

Hyman described her three point shots as a confidence-booster for her and her teammates.

“I think it also kind of corrals the team,” Hyman said. “I’ll hit one and then it’s like, good shot T, we will all hit.”

On Wednesday, the Syracuse women will look to extend its winning streak to seven against Siena College in The Carrier Dome at 2:00 PM (ET).