No. 23 Syracuse women beat Rhode Island 57-54

Nov 13, 2015, 07:37 pm

KINGSTON, R.I. -- Briana Day scored five of her 14 points, and had a key block and steal in the final five minutes to lead No. 23 Syracuse in a 57-54 victory over Rhode Island in a season opener Friday night.

Brianna Butler had 20 points, Alexis Peterson 10 steals and eight assists, and Day grabbed nine rebounds for the Orange.

Charise Wilson scored 26 points and Tayra Melendez had 10 rebounds for the Rams.

Brittney Sykes made a layup give the Orange a 53-52 lead with five minutes to play. Day scored a layup and made a pair of free throws to stretch the Orange lead to 57-52.

Samantha Tabakman made a layup to pull the Rams to 57-54 with 2:51 remaining. Day forced a turnover from Tayra Melendez, then blocked Tabakman's layup attempt with 40 seconds left to seal it.