One day after being named as one of the final 25 candidates in the running for the annual John R. Wooden Award, which goes to the nation’s top collegiate player, Syracuse guard Alexis Peterson put forth one of the most dominating performances of her career, scoring a program-record 45 points against No. 23 North Carolina State.

Peterson’s 45 is also the most points scored by a male or female in Carrier Dome history.

“I think this is the second or third game in a row that I can say ‘Alexis Peterson,’ I guess,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “Just an amazing, amazing performance by (Peterson).”

Down 44-32 at halftime, a heroic second half from Peterson led Syracuse (13-5, 4-1 Atlantic Coast) to an 85-75 victory over the Wolfpack (13-5, 3-2) Thursday night at the Carrier Dome. Peterson notched 28 of her 45 points in the second half, leading unranked Syracuse to its first victory over an AP top-25 team this season.

“Peterson just had an unbelievable game. I feel kind of like an idiot sitting here and having somebody drop 45 points on us,” NC State head coach Wes Moore said. “We tried to double her, we tried to trap her, we tried to keep it out of her hands, but we just couldn’t find a way.”

The Orange shot just 29.7 percent from the field in the first half, falling behind as the Wolfpack fired back with a 60 percent shooting percentage. NC State sophomores Miah Spencer and Chelsea Nelson shot 3-for-3 and 5-for-5 from the field, respectively, propelling the Wolfpack to an early lead.

Briana Day, Gabby Cooper, Isabella Slim and Abby Grant shot a combined 2-for-15 in the first half, contributing heavily to the Orange’s shooting woes. The SU defense also was uncharacteristically timid in the first half, totaling just two steals and two blocks as NC State pulled away for what became a 12-point deficit at the half.

“(NC State) was getting the ball inbounds too easy,” Hillsman said. “(Moore) had a really good scheme against (the SU defense).”

But the Orange turned it around in the second half, shooting 51.9 percent from the field and powering away from the Wolfpack.

Peterson led the Orange’s well-rounded attack, hitting 11 shots from the field and adding to the tally with a 17-of-19 performance from the foul line. She also shot 6-of-10 from 3-point range.

“Alexis Peterson was just amazing,” Hillsman said. “And sometimes you have her just come out and play amazing, and that’s what she was.”

Syracuse’s defense flipped the script in the second half, totaling seven steals and one block in the final 20 minutes of the game. SU held the Wolfpack shooters to 40.7 percent from the field, a stark contrast to its 60 percent in the first half. Spencer and Nelson were also slowed down, posting four combined turnovers and totaling just 15 second-half points.

Behind its strong second-half performance and Peterson’s career night in the Dome, the Orange sealed a 10-point victory over the Wolfpack, 85-75, as Peterson’s name and performance became permanently etched in the annals of the Carrier Dome.

“We talk about playing our role, and tonight it happened to be my night,” Peterson said. “(Setting the program record) is a huge honor … it’s something I’ll appreciate forever, and I’m extremely blessed and extremely honored.”

Published on January 12, 2017 at 10:34 pm

Contact Matt: mjfel100@syr.edu