It wasn’t a 67-point win, but 66 is close enough for the kids in attendance.
In front of a record-setting crowd for “school day” inside the JMA Wireless Dome, the Syracuse Orange capped off their non-conference schedule for 2025-26 with their most dominant performance of the year.
Syracuse defeated Mercyhurst by 66 points (106-40), taking total control of the contest from start to finish. The Orange outscored the Lakers by double-figures in all four quarters and never allowed Mercyhurst to score more than 12 points in any quarter. Syracuse will enter the ACC portion of its schedule with an 11-1 record and a six-game winning streak.
As an added bonus, over 10,000 fans were in the Dome to witness the blowout victory. Friday’s game not only set a new school day record, but the program said it was the second-most attended game in its history.
Uche Izoje finished with a team-high 23 points on 10/12 shooting, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Four other Syracuse players reached double-figures, including Sophie Burrows (12 points), Madeline Potts (11 points) and Shy Hawkins plus Keira Scott (10 points each). In total, 10 players made at least two shots in a game where the Orange shot 59% from the field and 44% from three.
On the other side of the court, Mercyhurst converted on under 25% of its total shot attempts. Erica Hall led the way with 14 points, the only player from the Lakers to finish in double-figures.
Syracuse exploded out of the gate, scoring 32 points in the first quarter alone and missing just six shots on 20 attempts. Another efficient performance in the second quarter would put ‘Cuse up 34 points heading into the locker room, and the lead only ballooned from there the rest of the way.
With the win at home, the Orange also move to 9-0 in the Dome in 2025-26. Heading into the ACC schedule, Syracuse concluded its non-con slate as follows:
- Home win over Stony Brook: 74-50
- Home win over UAlbany: 64-45
- Home win over Canisius: 96-72
- Home win over Wagner: 78-29
- Neutral-site win over Utah: 61-49
- Neutral-site loss versus Michigan: 81-55
- Home win over Howard: 78-62
- Home win over Auburn: 66-60
- Home win over Colgate: 88-42
- Home win over Binghamton: 72-54
- Home win over Mercyhurst: 106-40
Syracuse is also off to a perfect start against the ACC after beating SMU in its only true road game so far this year.
Syracuse will be off for a week, then return to the Dome on December 28 for a matchup against the Duke Blue Devils, an early key conference game for the program. Tip-off for that is set for 4 p.m. EST.
Category: General Sports
