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Women's Basketball

Syracuse ends 2-game skid with 70-52 knockout of Pittsburgh

Codie Yan | Staff Photographer

Tiana Mangakahia and Syracuse managed to get back to winning after a two-game road losing streak.

Earlier in the week, SU had a players-only meeting to find a way to end the team’s two-game conference skid and to protect a home court it hadn’t lost on in 10-straight games dating back to last season. Heading into its matchup with Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Orange knew this game would be different than others. Syracuse announced a partnership with local organizations a few weeks ago in order to break the attendance record of 11,021, set last year.

Last year’s game against then-No.7 Notre Dame gave the Orange a chance to prove itself against a Top 10 in the country. Sunday’s contest served as a palate cleanser for an SU team that’s lost four of its first-six conference games.

The announced attendance of 8,126, second-largest in program history, didn’t get the job done but SU (15-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast) overwhelmed the Panthers (9-11, 1-6), 70-52, on Sunday afternoon. It was the second-straight contest in which four different players posted double-digit points. Head coach Quentin Hillsman called the game a “classic” Syracuse win. The victory meant Hillsman avoided his first three-game conference losing streak since Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013.

“I thought we did a good job of bouncing back and playing hard,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “… We played at the pace that we play. I’m really happy with the team win. Anytime we can get the ball to the basket and apply pressure, it’s going to be pretty good.”

After a string of stops in the first quarter, SU and Mangakahia started to dissect the Panthers’ 2-3 zone. Orange guards strung passes along the perimeter and fed it to the high-post before an SU player spat it back outside the arc where the Orange connected on 10 3-pointers.



SU impeded its own progress in the second quarter, forcing too many passes inside and giving the Panthers a chance to get back into the game. But, a Pitt team that hasn’t won an ACC road game since Feb. 2016, couldn’t capitalize.

Syracuse sent passes inside to exploit its size advantage. Amaya Finklea-Guity, SU’s 6-foot-4 center, turned out her second-highest point total of the year (14). Kalista Walters, the Panthers’ tallest starter, is three inches shorter than Finklea-Guity. Yet, SU guards telegraphed some passes inside and the Panthers knocked the ball away.

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A string of turnovers in the middle of the third quarter resulted in a Miranda Drummond layup. Syracuse’s largest lead of the game (19) forced Pittsburgh to call a timeout. As the crowd cheered, Hillsman, stormed out to his team near half court and lectured his starters.

Sloppy play had hindered SU in recent games and there were times in Sunday’s win where the offense was stagnant.

Defensively, SU switched between its 2-3 zone and man-to-man defense. For the first time in six games, the Orange held an opponent to less than 60 points. Down by 13 to start the second half, the Panthers heaved 3-pointers and often watched the shot clock trickle down to single digits. Pittsburgh connected on 13 field goals in the 20 minutes and scored 12 points in the paint. In the second half, it scored two points in the paint and made just six field goals.

“We understand the urgency of these games,” Hillsman said. “We gotta play tougher. Toughness is about doing what you’re supposed to do all the time.”

In a 40-second span in the third quarter, Isis Young missed an open 3-pointer from the corner. Drummond pulled down the board and got Tiana Mangakahia an open 3 from the top of the key. That shot clanked off the rim. Drummond corralled the miss again and Digna Strautmane shot a jumper from the baseline, another miss. Amaya Finklea-Guity hauled in the possession’s third offensive rebound and made the layup herself. The lead ballooned to 18 and SU went on cruise control.

The sequence was emblematic of the game as a whole: Syracuse wasn’t dominant, but it did enough to beat a team it hasn’t lost to since 2009.

“I think those five (losses) come from our inexperience,” sophomore guard Gabrielle Cooper said. “We couldn’t finish out, couldn’t make plays at the end, we couldn’t get the stops that we needed. As we come together more, and get better chemistry, our younger players get a better feel for the game, we will bring it all together.”





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