Syracuse’s fourth-quarter comeback could have been all for naught. Trailing by three with eight seconds left, Rhode Island had a chance to tie the game back up at 57. A timeout before the Rams’ final possession set the stage for one shot that would decide the outcome.

Orange head coach Quentin Hillsman, who usually employs a 2-3 zone, stuck with the man-to-man defense he used throughout the fourth quarter. And it worked.

“’Just don’t give them a good look at the basket,’” Hillsman said he told his team. “And (it was) just a phenomenal job of locking their man down.”

URI’s (0-1) Charise Wilson unloaded a 3 right before the buzzer, but it missed the basket and No. 23 SU (1-0) escaped Kingston, Rhode Island with its first win of the season, 57-54. Syracuse won its ninth consecutive season opener following a fourth quarter in which it shut down the Rams’ leading scorer and outscored its opponent 16-8.

Senior guard Brianna Butler led SU with 20 points as she went 6-for-15 from 3-point land. Briana Day’s 14 points and nine rebounds helped out, as did Alexis Peterson’s eight assists and 10 steals, but it was Butler who kept Syracuse alive.

“(Butler) did a very good job of taking open shots,” Hillsman said. “She did a good job of making sure when she got looks, they were quality looks.”

After trailing 31-26 at halftime, Rhode Island outscored SU by 10 in the third quarter. Wilson, the Rams’ only player in double figures, finished the third quarter with 26 points.

Locked into a physical game, Hillsman wasn’t worried, because he knew his team could play that style. He shifted to a man-to-man defense and put Cornelia Fondren on Wilson. URI’s leading scorer didn’t score once in the fourth quarter.

After the Rams took a 48-41 lead, the Orange went on a 10-2 run. It was the stops SU made that allowed for the comeback, Hillsman said.

Syracuse’s starting backcourt of Brittney Sykes and Peterson combined to go 2-for-21 from the field, but the Orange was able to make up for it.

“When you win a game and two of your better players go 2-for-21, you’re very, very fortunate,” Hillsman said. “But I thought we were fortunate because Brianna Butler made some shots and Cornelia Fondren’s defense was tremendous.”

Published on November 13, 2015 at 8:30 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds