No. 20/20 Duke used a strong second half to pull away from No. 11/12 Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on Saturday, March 31. The game was the fourth for the Orange in eight days and their first home contest in three weeks. "Honestly, I thought we looked tired and flat-footed," said Syracuse head coach Gary Gait. "No excuses, but it has been a long couple of weeks. We've shown that we struggle when we only have one day to prepare for a team that has eight. I thought Duke played great today. They were well-prepared from the opening whistle. I give them all the credit." HOW IT WAS DECIDED The teams traded goals before Duke (7-4, 2-2) scored three straight to take a 6-3 lead at the 17:28 mark. The game continued to be a back-and-forth affair as senior Riley Donahue's free-position goal with 1:04 on the clock cut the Blue Devils' lead to 8-6 at halftime. Duke scored the first two goals of the second half to extend its lead to four, but back-to-back scores from Donahue and freshman Molly Carter brought the Orange within two, 10-8. But that was as close as Syracuse (7-5, 0-3) could get as the Blue Devils netted the next three goals and went on to the 17-10 victory. OF NOTE Donahue led the Orange with four points on three goals and an assist, while sophomore Emily Hawryschuk and freshman Sam Swart had two goals apiece. Hawryschuk has now scored multiple goals in nine games this season and leads the team in points (37) and goals (31). Kyra Harney and Olivia Jenner had four goals apiece to lead Duke. UP NEXT… Syracuse goes back on the road next week for a pair of games. The Orange play at No. 9/7 Loyola on Thursday before returning to ACC play next Saturday at No. 17/17 Virginia Tech.