All Brittney Sykes needed was seven seconds.

With Syracuse trailing 59-58 and 1:38 remaining, the sophomore guard grabbed a defensive rebound, ran coast-to-coast and hit a scoop layup off the glass to put the Orange in front, 60-59.

In a game in which there were 11 lead changes in the second half, Sykes’ basket put the Orange ahead for good as Syracuse (1-0) opened its 2013-2014 season with a 69-65 win against Washington State (0-1) in Pullman, Wash.

“It was one of those games where you’re on the road and you’ve made a long trek across the country, you just want to try to get those games done with,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “To come out and play good in a game here and win it, it was really big for us.”

It was Sykes and center Shakeya Leary who led the way for the Orange. Leary scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, both of which were game-and-career-highs. Sykes scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

“Shakeya did a very good job of getting catches in the paint and playing aggressive at the rim,” Hillsman said. “… She proved she’s capable of scoring and making plays. (And) Brittney got up and down the floor and did a very good job of getting out in transition.”

Sykes’ go-ahead basket in the final minutes highlighted a night of great transition play from the Orange. Nine players played 10 or more minutes, which allowed the Orange to keep up its effective, quick pace.

Syracuse led by as much as 11 in the first half, but Washington State went on an 8-2 run to close the half and pull ahead 33-30.

Leading 59-58 and in possession of the ball with 1:51 remaining, Washington State called timeout. In Syracuse’s huddle, Hillsman said associate head coach Vonn Read advised the team switch from its base 2-3 zone defense to a man-to-man.

It worked.

Out of the timeout, Syracuse forced a missed shot and caused three turnovers during the rest of the game, while outscoring the Cougars 10-7.

“It was going to be a back-and-forth game, we knew that,” Hillsman said. “We knew that when you get into one of these kinds of games, playing a team like Washington (State) who makes shots on the perimeter, you know you’re going to have to get some stops. We got some stops, and that was the big thing for us.”

Guard La’Shay Taft added nine points for the Orange while guard Brianna Butler scored seven, including a jumper to put the Orange ahead 62-60 in the final minute.

Syracuse will now return home for a four-game home stand that begins on Thursday, Nov. 14, against Dartmouth.

“It’ll be good to be home,” Hillsman said. “It’ll be good to have an opportunity to play in front of our home fans. We love the Dome.”

Published on November 10, 2013 at 11:54 pm

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu