After going 4-0 in November, the Syracuse women’s basketball team wanted to avoid a December collapse. When the Orange came out sloppily in the first half, it looked as if it was heading for its first loss.

But the second half was a different story.

SU defeated Binghamton, 80-60, last night at Manley Field House in front of 398 fans thanks to accurate outside shooting and the post play of forwards Chineze Nwagbo and Sara Antolick. The Orange moved to 5-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 season.

‘We established the kind of tempo we wanted in the game,’ Syracuse head coach Keith Cieplicki said. ‘We shot the ball very well. It’s probably our best 40 minutes of the year. There were a lot of positives on both sides.’

One of the biggest positives for the Orange was the play of Nwagbo. Although Binghamton (1-3) held her to only two points in the first half, Nwagbo attacked the Bearcats’ defense in the second half. She finished the game with 18 points, tying a career high.

‘Our guards were hitting 3s from the outside,’ Nwagbo said. ‘When you hit 3s, it makes the defense come away from the double in the post. It allows the post to go one-on-one. I was patient and took what the defense gave me. I was a little sloppy in the first half.’

Much of BU’s defensive pressure focused on Nwagbo. With defenders surrounding Nwagbo, the paint opened up for Sara Antolick, who scored 10 points. It is the third consecutive game she scored in double figures.

Nwagbo wasn’t the only SU player to have a successful night. Syracuse shot 56 percent from the field, including a stellar 73 percent in the second half.

‘Syracuse has a great combination of inside and outside play,’ Binghamton head coach Rich Conover said. ‘Nwagbo is an outstanding inside player. She is very athletic and strong. We tried to double her and Sara Antolick early on. In the second half, they moved Nwagbo off the block. She was able to face up and split the double.’

SU supplemented its consistent post play with a developing perimeter game. Unlike its first four games, Syracuse had success with outside shooting, making 53 percent of its shots beyond the 3-point arc.

‘Anytime you have a great post like we do, it’s tough for other teams to guard us because our post and our perimeter players can score,’ Syracuse guard Lauren Kohn said. ‘Tonight they were concentrating on shutting down our post.’

Kohn, in particular, took advantage of BU’s strategy to focus down low. With the defense stacked inside, she was free to shoot from outside. Kohn made six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 20 points.

But it took a half for the Orange to warm up. The Syracuse post players often found two or three defenders around them whenever they got the ball. Forced to rely on the guards for offense, the Orange held a slim 33-27 lead at halftime.

SU’s backcourt eventually forced Binghamton to guard it, opening up the paint for Nwagbo and Antolick.

‘They all share each other’s success,’ Cieplicki said. ‘It’s been really nice. When you win, everything is rosy. The older players are doing a fantastic job with the younger players. It’s a great dynamic. Every day it seems like everybody is looking out for each other.’

Published on December 2, 2004 at 12:00 pm