Syracuse Defense Causes Problems for Cornell in 89-48 Victory

Text and Photo by Ethan Joyce

Video by Chelsea Brobst

The Syracuse women's basketball team used  stingy defense to cause 29 turnovers and create multiple fast break opportunities against Cornell Monday evening, beating the Big Red 89-48. Brittney Sykes lead the Orange with 23 points and five steals in a matchup at the Carrier Dome.

"Today in shootaround, we really focused on ball pressure," Sykes said. "We knew that Cornell, after scouting them, that they really couldn't handle ball pressure even though they are a great team."

The Orange (3-0) started off quickly on defense, working a full-court press until coming across half court and settling into the zone. Within the first five minutes of the game, Cornell (2-1) turned the ball over four times.

Syracuse's offense also stumbled in the opening minutes. Cornell forced the Orange into three turnovers.

Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman called a timeout about six minutes into the game to remind his team to stay focused when handling the ball.

"It's just about knowing who is in your area," Hillman said. "I think there are times that we didn't do a very good job in our sets. But once we settled down and got back into the half court, then I thought they (the players) did a great job recognizing what was going on."

After the quick regroup, Syracuse went on a 24-3 run. The team shut down Cornell's passing lanes and used defensive rebounds to start fast breaks. Shakeya Leary (6'3") used her height advantage against the Cornell frontcourt pulling down 10 rebounds and blocking two shots before the half. She finished the game with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Leary said she feels her defensive rebounding has improved since last season, and it is helping her start the offensive attack.

"I've just really been going to the boards and getting rebounds," Leary said. "That is really starting the transition on the offense for my teammates. Especially to Brittney--she is good at leaking out."

Sykes had 11 points by the end of the first half. She said during halftime, she noticed that she only had two rebounds. She decided to dedicate her second-half efforts on battling for more.

"I was kind of upset with myself, knowing that I wasn't helping my team going to the offensive glass and getting those possessions back," Sykes said. "After realizing that, I knew I had to pick it up for my team."

This was Sykes' second 20-point effort in the first three games of the season and Hillsman said he is proud of the effort he has seen from his leading scorer.

"I thought Brittney did a good job getting out in transition. She created numbers for us, and once the ball gets off the glass, she is attacking the paint."

With Sykes leading the attack, Syracuse dominated Cornell's interior defense and scored 36 points in the paint.

Syracuse's  next game will be at home on Wednesday against Maryland Eastern Shore at 7 p.m.

For video of Coach Hillsman's and the players' news conference, click here: http://youtu.be/MufV8DXWA1w