In a span of six minutes, Syracuse kept its season alive. Late in the second half of its second-round game against Drexel in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, the Orange took control.

SU crashed the boards hard, got plenty of shots to fall and played tough defense during a decisive 21-2 run that extended its season.

‘Every shot we missed, it felt like we got the offensive rebound,’ SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said in a phone interview. ‘I thought that was huge for us, but we did a very good job of making shots, and I thought that defensively we got out on our shooters, and we shut down all open shots.’

The Orange (20-14) clicked at just the right time to advance to the third round of the WNIT with a 65-43 victory over Drexel (19-14) Monday night in the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia. Syracuse will now play Temple (23-9) Thursday back in Philadelphia at 7 p.m. The Orange finished with an astounding 58 rebounds against Drexel, leading to 22 second-chance points.

Junior center Kayla Alexander finished with a double-double, scoring a game-high 16 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Three of the Orange’s guards also finished with double-digit scoring outputs. Carmen Tyson-Thomas scored 13 points, while Elashier Hall and Rachel Coffey each had 11.

Until Syracuse’s late run, SU and the Dragons matched each other at both ends of the floor, creating what looked to be a battle to keep playing in the tournament. But late in the game, Drexel fell apart.

‘Actually, during that time, I thought they were playing really well and so were we,’ Hillsman said. ‘It was sort of like we were matching each other, and then finally when they got cold, we started making shots, starting rebounding and our defense picked up, so I thought that was the biggest thing.’

Despite a horrid shooting performance where they shot 15-of-57 from the field, the Dragons managed to hang with SU. With less than 14 minutes left in the game, Drexel got two straight baskets to pull to within 36-34. SU forward Iasia Hemingway then committed her fourth foul when she was called for a blocking foul guarding Dragons’ forward Tyler Hale, prompting Hillsman to take her out of the game.

With about five minutes left, though, SU began its dominant stretch. It took advantage of its free-throw opportunities and found its shooting stroke. As Drexel’s defense packed the paint, Syracuse’s shooters took off. A 3-pointer by Hall put the Orange up 49-41.

SU knocked down free throw after free throw as its lead ballooned to double digits.

Syracuse also kept the Dragons’ offense from getting any open looks and ratcheted up its pressure defense to wreak havoc on Drexel.

‘As long as we can make shots and get into our pressure, I feel like we have a good chance to win every basketball game,’ Hillsman said, ‘and that’s what happened tonight.’

Syracuse’s next game, against a formidable opponent in Temple, will require SU to maintain its consistent offense, stifling defense and dominance on the glass.

Hillsman said his team is hitting its stride to extend its season one game at a time.

‘It’s just very exciting with our progress,’ Hillsman said, ‘and it’s the time of year where you should be hitting your stride and playing well, and we’re doing a very good job.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on March 19, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman