Brianna Butler’s shots kept falling — and falling, and falling.

A 3-point, nothing-but-net field-goal from the top of the key. An in-rhythm 3 from the right wing. A runner with her right hand as she drove left through the lane.

A 27.4-percent 3-point shooter coming into Thursday, Butler came out against Boston College and hit her first six 3-point attempts. The junior forward scored 20 points in the first half alone — she finished with 22 and five steals — and led the No. 25 Orange (19-8, 9-5 Atlantic Coast) to a 73-51 victory over the Eagles (12-14, 4-9) in front of 738 at the Carrier Dome.

“I know every time she hit a 3 I was jumping,” said SU forward Taylor Ford. “There was one 3 I was like, ‘Dang. Oh, snap. Good job, Bri.’”

After hitting seven 3s against Boston College last year — one short of the school’s single-game 3-pointers made record — Butler made six 3-pointers in the first half on Thursday. The fifth eclipsed Julie McBride’s (2001-04) school record of 229 3s made in a career.

“She shot the ball really, really well today,” Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “To have the all-time record as a junior is tremendous. She’s probably going to shatter it before she graduates, because she’s going to make 100 of them next year too.”

From the start, it was destined to be Butler’s night.

The Orange begins every game with the player making the last basket of pregame warmups leading the team huddle. Thursday night, that player was Butler.

Moments after SU center Briana Day won the opening tip, Butler hit a wide-open 3 from the top of the key that hit nothing but net.

Three minutes later, she drained another from the same spot on the floor to extend SU’s early lead to 8-2. Butler retreated expressionless back to the defensive end.

“In the past when I shoot the first shot it wasn’t usually going in,” Butler said. “But being able to knock down the first one, seeing the ball go in the basket early is definitely reassuring.”

On the ensuing possession Butler scored on a drive to the lane to give Syracuse a 10-2 lead, then hit a 3 from right wing to put SU up 15-5 with 14:19 to go in the half.

Again, no reaction.

Butler didn’t miss a shot until there was 28 seconds left in the first half, a 3 that rimmed away.

“It did not catch us by surprise,” Boston College head coach Erik Johnson said of Butler’s first half. “She shoots a lot of 3s. They have the green light to shoot — she more than anyone. We’ve seen her be hotter than a pistol. We’ve seen her go 0-for-14. (But) she doesn’t stop shooting and she’s a great shooter.”

When an announcement was made to the Carrier Dome crowd before the start of the second half about Butler’s new school record, the small forward didn’t acknowledge the crowd, just scratched her right ear before inbounding the ball.

But per norm, Hillsman said after the game that Butler passed up about five or six 3’s.

With two minutes remaining in regulation, Syracuse point guard Alexis Peterson drove through the lane and was called for an offensive foul.

“She’s wide open! She’s wide open!” Hillsman yelled, pointing to Butler.

As she walked off the court, Butler playfully tugged at the ponytail of SU reserve center Michelle Van Dyke, then high-fived fans on either side of the tunnel on her way to the Orange locker room.

A season of struggles finally gave Butler a reason to smile.

“It’s pretty cool,” Butler said. “I’m definitely blessed and honored to have that school record. But I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches.”

Published on February 19, 2015 at 9:03 pm

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu