SYRACUSE, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Syracuse women’s basketball team used a dominant second-quarter surge to pull away from visiting Binghamton and secure a 72-54 victory in a nonconference matchup Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome.

A crowd of 2,072 watched the Orange improve to 10-1 on the season, while the Bearcats fell to 6-4.

The game was tightly contested through the opening period, with Syracuse holding a narrow 12-11 lead. The complexion of the contest changed dramatically in the second quarter, as the Orange unleashed a 27-point offensive explosion while holding Binghamton to 17 points. That 15-point swing established a 39-28 halftime advantage for the home team, a margin from which the Bearcats could not recover.

Syracuse guard Dominique Darius, a 5-foot-10 sophomore from Jacksonville, Florida, spearheaded the decisive run and finished as the game’s leading scorer. She poured in 17 points, including two 3-pointers during the pivotal second quarter, and added four assists in 25 minutes of action.

The Orange’s interior presence, led by 6-foot-3 forward Izoje Uche of Delta State, Nigeria, also proved critical. Uche contributed 12 points, two assists and two blocks, controlling the paint on both ends of the floor. Forward Sophie Burrows, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Lower Plenty, Australia, provided a well-rounded performance with eight points, two assists and two blocks.

Binghamton was led by guard Bella Pucci of Rochester, New York, who logged a team-high 31 minutes and scored 11 points to go with two assists. Forward Leah Middleton from Auburn, New York, added 10 points. The Bearcats struggled to find consistent offense outside of brief spurts, particularly during a third quarter where they managed only seven points, allowing Syracuse to extend its lead to 57-35 entering the final period.

The Bearcats showed resilience in the fourth quarter, outscoring Syracuse 19-15, but the deficit was too large to overcome. Guard Ashley Redd of Porter Ranch, California, provided a spark off the bench with eight points in just 10 minutes, including a late blocked shot.

Syracuse’s defense was a key factor, generating numerous turnovers that led to transition opportunities. The Orange also controlled the rebounding battle, with forward Aurora Almón contributing several key offensive boards during the second-quarter run that broke the game open.

The most important sequence of the game occurred between the 9:26 and 6:48 marks of the second quarter. With Syracuse leading 15-13, the Orange embarked on a 13-2 run. It began with a 3-pointer from Dominique Darius, assisted by Madeline Potts, and was fueled by defensive stops and efficient offense. Darius hit another three, Uche scored twice inside, and Darius capped the run with a mid-range jumper, pushing the lead to 28-15 and forcing a Binghamton timeout. This stretch transformed a one-possession game into a comfortable double-digit lead that Syracuse would maintain for the remainder of the evening.

Syracuse now looks ahead to a Friday night home game against Mercyhurst before opening Atlantic Coast Conference play on Dec. 28 against Duke. Binghamton will return home to host Colgate on Saturday, seeking to rebound before a pair of road games at Fairleigh Dickinson and Maryland-Eastern Shore to close out the calendar year.