Thirty students were lined up in Schine Student Center.

They donned official Syracuse University garb. They stood next to their friends and chatted to pass the time. It was reminiscent of the scene in Schine just a few days ago, when Orange fans lined up to score one of the coveted seats on a bus ride to Indianapolis, the site of the women’s Final Four. A lot was the same.

Except this time, they were standing in line for nachos.

Upward of 45 Syracuse students and fans gathered in Schine Dining Center on Sunday night to watch the SU women’s basketball team take on the University of Washington at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The free event was sponsored by Student Centers and Programming Services.

“Last night was … a great game, but it was a disappointing loss. So I wanted to make sure that the women get enough cheer and the energy and the effort that we put (into the men’s game),” said Teresa Lin, a junior television, radio and film major who attended the watch party.

The first basket scored by SU was greeted with an eruption of cheers, as fans took a break from their wings, pizza and tortilla chips to clap their hands and yell in support of their team. Meanwhile, SCPS handed out free beaded blue necklaces and lottery tickets for a later prize drawing.

Commercial breaks were met with loud conversation and movement about the room. But when the Orange were playing, everyone’s eyes were — for the most part — glued to the screen. Each SU point received cheers and claps, coupled with the rattle of the shaking beaded necklaces. Each increase in the score of the opponent, or each call in their favor, elicited a soft groan.

Spirits remained high at the half. With the Orange in a 12-point lead, optimistic students could feel the excitement all the way from Indianapolis.

“It’s looking pretty good … they’re working together really well and (we have) a 12-point lead,” Lin said. “So hopefully that continues.”

Hilton Beckham, a graduate student in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, agreed, saying, “The women are going to take it. It’s the women’s year.”

As the third quarter began and the game progressed, a familiar chorus echoed around the room. Alexis Peterson makes a 3: “Nice!” The referee calls a foul against SU: “What?!” A multi-player pile up on the court: “Oooh.”

Nobody seemed worried, though, at least not with the consistent 12-point Orange lead and five minutes left in the third. There was still plenty of energy in the room — according to the fans in Schine, SU had this win in the bag.

As the night wore on, fans filed out slowly, whether it be from exhaustion or confidence in the ability of the women’s team to bring home a win, but a dedicated handful remained. As loud and as engaged as ever.

Clean-up began with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Slight smiles were on everyone’s faces while they brought their paper plates — once piled high with free food, but now carrying nothing more than wing bones and dirty napkins — to the trash. Victory was inevitable.

The clock ran out, and while the cheers earlier were loud, these were louder. Syracuse had won, 80-59. Following the sound of the buzzer, students hugged their friends and took photos in their SU shirts, all while continuing to clap and shout.

The night was over, but the women’s run in the NCAA tournament is not. The team will face off against the University of Connecticut on Tuesday.

“We’re winning. We’re going all the way. We’re going to beat UConn in the final,” said Lindsey Horsting, a graduate student in Newhouse. “That’s a stretch, but I’m going to say that.”

Published on April 3, 2016 at 11:58 pm

Contact Brigid: brkenned@syr.edu