Syracuse women’s basketball: Orange conclude non-con slate with dominant win over Dartmouth

Syracuse ends 2024 on a strong note as the start of conference play looms.

A combination of balanced scoring and sound defense allowed the Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team (6-6) to come away with its biggest win so far of the 2024-25 season Saturday over the Dartmouth Big Green (5-7).

In a game where Syracuse led the entire way from tip-off to final buzzer, the Orange build up a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter en route to matching their season-high in total points scored. On the defense side, Syracuse held Dartmouth to shoot 36% from the field as the team came away with a commanding 87-52 win at home to conclude non-conference play this year.

Five different players for the Orange scored in double-figures. Keira Scott hit this layup right off the opening jump to give Syracuse its first basket of the game:

Scott (13 points, 6/13 shooting) finished second on the team in scoring, part of the reason why the Orange scored 62 of their 87 points in the paint and held a plus-36 advantage in that category over Dartmouth.

Both Kyra Wood (10 points, 5/7 shooting and 10 rebounds in 15 minutes) and Saniaa Wilson (16 points and 7/7 shooting in 14 minutes) played sparingly but absolutely proved to be very effective and efficient around the basket. Wilson off the bench would lead the Orange in scoring and helped to power Syracuse’s 40-12 (plus-28) advantage in bench scoring, while Wood ended up with her third double-double of the year.

Shy Hawkins (11 points, 4 rebounds, 4/6 shooting) and Sophie Burrows (10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 5/7 shooting) helped to round out the Orange’s offensive attack.

Defense proved to be as equally as important against Dartmouth. Syracuse allowed the Big Green to score just nine points in the first quarter and 24 points in the first half. Just like the start of the first half, the beginning of the second half saw Syracuse take a commanding lead for good by outscoring Dartmouth 24-10 in the third quarter.

Dartmouth would end up shooting below 40% (21% in the first quarter, 38% in the second quarter and 36% in the third quarter) for most of the game. The fourth quarter scoring efficiency for Dartmouth (7/14) looked more improved, but by then it was way too late for any remarkable comeback.

Dominique Camp (5 points, 10 assists) also had one of her best passing games of the year. Camp’s 10 assists were a career-high mark for year and marked the first time a Syracuse player reached double-digits in assist since former guard Teisha Hyman did so in December 2021.

Syracuse has rebounded the past two games after a brutal 31-point loss to Notre Dame at the beginning of the month with consecutive wins over Binghamton and Dartmouth. The Orange enter the thick of ACC play this season at the bottom of the standings in the conference, but with at least enough time and a chance to turn things around.

The Orange will return to the court to play their second ACC opponent of the year on January 2 versus the No. 17 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (13-0, 1-0) — easily one of the biggest surprise stories so far in women’s college basketball. Syracuse won’t return to the JMA Wireless Dome until January 9, where the team will play new conference member SMU.