Wednesday was supposed to be Kayla Alexander’s day. The center entered the game just 16 points behind Nicole Michael for the Syracuse record for career points. The record was supposed to go down against St. John’s.

And at halftime it appeared it would. The senior went into the break with 10 points, but scored just four in the second half. And at the end of the game, it was Brittney Sykes’ day. A 50-foot heave at the buzzer by the guard gave the Orange a 60-57 win. Even on the verge of the most prestigious record in the books, Alexander can’t imagine anything topping Wednesday’s finish.

“Definitely right now that game winner,” Alexander said is the highlight of her year, “because I don’t know how many people can make that shot. I’m pretty sure a thousand people throw up that shot hoping it goes in, and not too often does it actually happen.”

With her first field goal on Saturday against Villanova (15-3, 4-1 Big East) at 6 p.m. in The Pavilion, Alexander will tie Michael’s SU (16-2, 4-1) record of 1,787 career points. She came up two points short on Wednesday, but it’s still inevitable. And that still amazes her based on how her career started.

Alexander didn’t even start playing basketball until she was in seventh grade. Then, a friend told her to come to a tryout simply because she was tall. She made the team, but even the coaches told her it was just because of her height.

A decade later she’s become one of the best players in Syracuse history.

“When I came to Syracuse my ultimate goal was to see playing time, and to contribute to the team in any other way, shape or form,” Alexander said. “As a freshman you come in and you’re hoping you’ll see the court maybe and like five minutes of action, so to have this coming up, it’s incredible. It’s not something you think about when you first come to university.”

Alexander didn’t even realize the record was in range until this season. As she’s climbed up the scoring list, people told her she was getting close to each player she eventually passed. 

As she’s passed the former players, they have reached out to congratulate her. Now, as she’s on the verge of passing her last hurdle, she’s tweeted with Michael, but they haven’t yet talked in person or over the phone.

SU head coach Quentin Hillsman coached both Michael and now Alexander. He called it “remarkable” to have the opportunity to coach the Orange’s two all-time leading scorers. 

Still, he defers all credit to his current center.

“I’m happy for her,” Hillsman said. “She’s worked really hard and every summer she leaves here with the task on how to get better and she comes back obviously taking care of business and getting better, so I think all the credit goes to her.”

Guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas arrived at SU at the same time as Alexander. The two came off the bench for the Orange during the 2009-10 season when Michael was putting the final touches on her record-setting career. 

Tyson-Thomas didn’t doubt Alexander’s abilities, but it still amazes her how far she has come.

“You never expect something so great because you never come to college and expect to be a 1,000-point scorer, or to be a top rebounder or anything of that nature, and for us to both come so far, I mean it’s just like it happened so quickly,” Tyson-Thomas said. “Four years goes by so quick and you never get to look back at it until now when you’re in your senior year and you see that, man, we’re both seniors already, and you never expected anything like this to happen. It’s a great moment.” 

That moment will come on Saturday. If not, Hillsman half-joked, it’s going to be a bad day for the Orange.

Just like every other milestone she’s approached, Alexander hasn’t thought about the record too much. But part of that stems from her team’s dramatic victory against St. John’s. 

When she does score on Saturday it may not top Wednesday’s game, but it will still be a moment to remember. And like all the other moments along the way, she’ll appreciate this one in hindsight.

“That’d be a really cool experience as well,” Alexander said. “I’m looking forward to it, but at the same time I’m still so caught up in Brittney’s shot right now that I think I’ll celebrate that or think about that when it’s actually happening.”