With the clock running down late in the second half and Syracuse leading by 17, Briana Day skied to her right to grab an offensive rebound that looked like it rightfully belonged to Penn State’s Candice Agee.

But Day forced the jump ball, and even after the whistle had been called the two fought to swipe away possession. SU’s forward came out of the scrum with her hair messed up and let out a frustrated exhale. The score was already out of hand, but the rebound further put Day’s stamp on the game.

“Just playing hard, just having will,” Day said. “It’s who wants it more, and that’s what I had to do, doing what I can for my team.”

Day had statistically the best game of her career on Thursday, scoring 15 points and hauling in 13 rebounds while adding six blocks and three steals. And it was her execution that gave the No. 21 Orange (6-1) separation in its 61-39 win over the Nittany Lions (1-6) in the Carrier Dome as part of the Atlantic Coast Conference-Big Ten Challenge.

Day dominated the inside post over Agee, although the PSU center had two inches and a couple pounds over the lanky SU sophomore.

“She’s a really quick leaper and her second and third jump is really fast,” PSU head coach Coquese Washington said of Day. “If you’re a quick leaper and you got good anticipation skills, you’re a fantastic rebounder.”

Day’s success this season has been a combination of precise positioning in the paint and sheer willpower on the glass.

But with Syracuse leading by two with 9:08 left in the first half and shooting just 5-of-22 from the field, she didn’t need any of that. Cornelia Fondren brought the ball up the court and found a cutting and uncontested Day who laid the shot in with ease.

Two possessions later, she grabbed a weak-side defensive board out of Agee’s hands. After an offensive rebound and two free throws, Day’s and-one layup right after stretched the lead to 11, and Penn State wouldn’t get within 10 the rest of the game.

“She was great,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “Briana Day has been awesome. She’s just really been fighting. Every rebound, every possession she’s battling for position. Every catch she’s trying to read the play.”

Day said her success on the glass and in the paint is a product of her effort.

On a night when Syracuse shot just 7-of-40 from the 3-point line, it was on Day to pick up the scoring load. Hillsman said her skill set isn’t up to par with the expectations that have been placed on her. She’s been expected to play at the elbow and the short corner, even though those aren’t yet part of her still-developing game.

Hillsman said she gets the brunt of his anger. When she ran off the court, he admitted to being hard on her. Sometimes she did something wrong, sometimes she was just the first person he saw.

On Thursday, she wasn’t spared from his intense personality. But his frustration was only a subset of the respect that he had for her performance against Penn State.

“I have to get the rebound,” Day said. “I know I’m undersized in the post, but I can’t let that not let me play hard.”

Published on December 4, 2014 at 10:47 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3