SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Syracuse’s historic postseason run began in Greensboro, North Carolina, when Alexis Peterson hit two second-half 3-pointers to give the Orange momentum en route to a 19-point win over North Carolina State.

And the momentum hasn’t stopped since.

Not even a banged-up hip or a perennial powerhouse could stop Peterson and No. 4 seed SU (29-7, 13-3 Atlantic Coast) on Sunday in the Sioux Falls Regional finals. With an 89-67 win over No. 7 seed Tennessee, Syracuse advanced to play No. 7 seed Washington in its first-ever Final Four. Peterson continued leading the charge as she’s scored at least 18 points in all seven postseason games to date.

She finished with 29 points and six assists on her way to being named the Sioux Falls Region’s Most Outstanding Player and there are no signs of slowing down.

“It’s her time to shine. She stepped up and made things happen,” Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick said. “She ran her basketball team. She kind of put them on her back and said, ‘We’re not going to be defeated.’”

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Peterson made a pull-up jump shot with four seconds to go in the first quarter and landed awkwardly on her hip. But when the second quarter started, she was right back on the floor.

In the locker room before the game, Peterson told her teammates they needed “40 minutes” over and over. She only got to play for 38 with a sore hip.

“This time of year, you just have to give it all you have,” Peterson said. “… I’d rather win and be advancing than worry about a minor injury.”

It’s the same sentiment Peterson’s preached over the past month as the first-team all-ACC point guard kicked her game to another level. Knowing it’s the most important time of year, her mindset has changed and it’s showing on the court.

In four NCAA tournament games, Peterson is 32-for-66 (.484) from the field, 29-for-35 (.829) at the foul line and is averaging of 25.3 points.

“She is one the best point guards I have ever gone up against in my 10 years,” Army head coach Dave Magarity said after his team lost to SU in the Round of 64.

 

Logan Reidsma | Senior Staff Photographer

 

Entering the fourth quarter against Tennessee, Peterson had 15 points. In the final 10 minutes, after UT cut the deficit to four points, she scored 14, continuing her knack of stepping up in key spots.

With a minute left and the game comfortably in hand, she lifted her right fist above her head and waved it up and down. The usually-fiery Peterson stood on the baseline for an inbounds pass with a straight face and didn’t have to say anything. SU’s fans rose to their feet as the Orange was on the brink of its first Final Four appearance.

When the game ended, Peterson was the one with the ball in her hands. And she was the one all of her teammates swarmed to when the buzzer sounded. She was, once again, the center of it all.

“She just had a fantastic game and ran her basketball team,” Warlick said. “Don’t forget that. She scored, did those things, along with running her basketball team. That’s pretty special.”

Published on March 29, 2016 at 11:03 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds