Brittney Sykes slept like a baby on Saturday night. Quentin Hillsman didn’t get a wink.

Both Syracuse’s junior guard and her head coach knew of her return since Dec. 4. But its eve brought nerves for Hillsman, and comfort to Sykes.

“She’s a really important part of our program,” Hillsman said, “and I was just up last night thinking of how we can get her in the game, get her acclimated and get her going and not risk anything as far as having a relapse.”

In her first game back, Sykes was not the same player that averaged 16.6 points per game last year before tearing her ACL and meniscus in her right knee in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. On Sunday night, she missed her first three shots, the first two being relatively uncontested layups in No. 22 Syracuse’s (9-3) 76-59 win over Cornell (6-5) at the Carrier Dome.

Although Sykes grabbed seven rebounds, she committed three turnovers and collected her only two points in the game’s final minutes, after the eventual outcome was well within hand.

“She was really bouncy, really athletic,” Hillsman said. “And that’s what we needed to see. As far as her return, it was whenever she’s cleared she was ready.”

Sykes said she feels 100 percent, despite playing just 18 minutes. Hillsman didn’t think it’d be smart to put her on the court for 30-plus minutes after being sidelined for such a long time.

She had been cleared for full-contact practice on Dec. 5, and was told she couldn’t return until after the eight-month mark of her surgery, which was Dec. 24. This date had been circled on her calendar for four weeks, but she had to sit and watch as the Orange dropped heartbreaking defeats to then-No. 9 Baylor and then-No. 18 Michigan State in Florida over the Winter Break.

“There’s one word that sums it up; it’s ‘finally,’” Sykes said. “It’s been eight months away from your team. It just feels good to get back with them and be with them on the court physically.”

On the court, Sykes was still shaking off the rust. Her first drive to the basket, she shot it too high off the glass. The second, she made a quick first step to get past a defender before watching her layup roll off the rim.

It wasn’t as pretty as it’s always been for Sykes, but she’s now working her way back into an offense that has thrived despite her absence.

“That’s what great teams do,” Sykes said. “They find ways to win when you’re missing pieces. (I’m) just coming back and just trying to find the flow and let the game come to me and just help my team.”

Published on December 28, 2014 at 10:26 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3