Syracuse (13-7, 4-3 Atlantic Coast) dropped its second straight road game, this time losing at No. 7 Florida State, 77-58, on Thursday night. The Orange now falls to 4-7 away from the Carrier Dome.

The problem tonight for SU was the first quarter, when it got outscored by FSU 26-7. Syracuse had 13 missed shots and six turnovers in the frame. The Orange made a run in the second half but it was far from enough.

“In the first half we dug ourselves a hole,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “That could have been a 35, 40-point loss.”

Outside of the first quarter, FSU and the Orange each scored 51 points. The 21 turnovers for the Orange is the worst mark in conference play this season and the Seminoles picked up 26 points off the miscues.

Alexis Peterson, who scored 21 of her 26 points after the break, led Syracuse’s second half charge. But she was left without much help, as Brittney Sykes was the only other player to score in double figures, with 10. FSU had more points in the paint (34) than everyone on SU combined, excluding Peterson.

Hillsman is disappointed in his team’s performance and had a simple solution for how the Orange can improve next time out.

“You gotta make shots to start the game off,” Hillsman said.