Syracuse Goes Wire-to-Wire to Defeat Jacksonville, 65-49

Story and photos by Ellen Burr
 

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – It took two minutes for Syracuse to put points on the board, but after a 3-pointer by junior Isabella Slim, the Syracuse Orange women took the lead and never looked back, beating the Jacksonville University Dolphins 65-49 at the Carrier Dome Monday night..

Coming off a 61-54 loss to Arizona State on Dec. 12, the Orange (7-3) readily bounced back  against JU (6-6), scoring 21 points the first quarter and leading 38-22 at the half.

Senior guard Brianna Butler led the Orange in scoring for the game with 16 points.

"Our last game against Arizona State didn't go how we wanted it to," Butler said. "We wanted to come into this game against Jacksonville and make improvements and play our game."

Orange starts hot

The Orange looked strong in the first half, easily outscoring the Dolphins 21-11 in the first quarter and 17-11 in the second.

Syracuse was deadly from the three-point line in the first 20 minutes of the game, shooting 8-for-14 from the perimeter, making up the bulk of the Orange’s points in the first half. Butler was responsible for three of those 3-pointers, leading SU with nine points going into the break.

Syracuse clearly outshone Jacksonville in nearly all aspects of the game in the first half, except for rebounding. Jacksonville managed to out-rebound Syracuse, 29-26. Almost half of the Dolphins' scoring in the first two quarters was second chance points.

Syracuse fends off third quarter Dolphins' run

The Orange started the second half with an easy layup by Briana Day. But then Jacksonville proceeded to go on am 9-4 run cutting SU’s 18-point lead to 11, midway through the third quarter.

Syracuse once again took control of the game late in the third. Layups by Alexis Peterson and Briana Day, and another three by Butler made the score 52-35 going into the final quarter.

SU held on through the fourth quarter, with Jacksonville outscoring the Orange in by one point in the final 10 minutes of the game.

After their win over the Dolphins, the Orange women ran to the sideline to “dab” for a quick group picture, smiles on all of their faces.

"Obviously coming into this game we just wanted to win the game and have a good Christmas," Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "Overall I'm just really happy with our effort, with our team, and with our ability to rebound from a loss. Our players played with a lot of energy, a lot of heart tonight."

Double-double for Brittney Sykes

Redshirt junior guard Brittney Sykes finished off the night with 11 points and 10 rebounds, the first double-double of the season for the Orange.

It was also the first double-double for the guard since March 22, 2014 –the day Sykes tore her ACL in an NCAA tournament game against Chattanooga. That knee injury kept Sykes on the Orange bench for the entirety of the following season.

"I know when Coach sent me out and I looked at the scoreboard and I realized I had nine rebounds I made sure I told the coaches I wanted to get in just one more time so I could get one more rebound, Sykes said. "Obviously coming back from an injury I want to make sure that I'm staying healthy, that I'm still crashing the boards. My knees are not an excuse for me not crashing and doing other things for my teammates."

Game Notes

This was the second-ever meeting between Syracuse and Jacksonville. The two programs faced off for the first time last season, when the Orange defeated the Dolphins 77-61 in Jacksonville, Fla.

None of the Jacksonville players scored in double digits Monday night Keanua Williams led the Dolphins with nine points.

Jacksonville had 48 rebounds in the game, over Syracuse’s 45.

After hitting 8 of 14 three-point shots in the first half, Syracuse was just 1-13 in the second half.

Up Next

Syracuse takes a weeklong break before hosting the New Year’s Celebration tournament at the Carrier Dome. The Orange takes on Drexel in the first round, next Tuesday, Dec. 29. That game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.

Jacksonville is away again at No. 11/9 Florida State University next Monday, Dec. 28 at 7:00 p.m.


Photos - the view from the seats. Click to enlarge and start slide show.

Strong Second Half Secures Syracuse 67-46 Win Over Cornell

Story, photos and video by Ellen Burr

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After a lethargic first half by the Orange, Syracuse outscored Cornell 37-20 in the second to defeat the Big Red 67-46 at the Carrier Dome Saturday afternoon.

With winter break underway at SU, the Dome’s student section was sparsely populated. Typically, during the national anthem, Syracuse students shout "Oh!" in the final lines of the song, the noise of their cheers ringing through the Dome. This time around, a single student’s voice awkwardly yelled "Oh!" over the anthem singer.

The sluggish energy of the crowd was felt on the court as well, as Cornell stuck with Syracuse through the first half, with the Orange only leading by four at halftime.

But, with a newfound energy, improved shooting, and evenly distributed scoring by the Syracuse squad in the second half, the Orange pulled away for the 67-46 win over the Big Red.

Cornell Holds On Through First Half

Despite an 11-3 run by Syracuse midway through the first half, Cornell trimmed the Orange’s lead to 30-26 at the end of the first 20 minutes.

The score was back and forth early on, with the score tied at 7 five minutes into the game. Cornell took the lead shortly after that with a three-pointer by junior Robert Hatter, making the score 10-7.

Cornell’s lead didn’t last long as Syracuse went on that 11-3 run to go ahead 21-13 with around six minutes left in the half. But, Cornell did not let SU get away easily, putting together a strong offensive attack before the break.

Once again, Syracuse struggled from the three-point line early in the game, shooting 3-13 from the perimeter in the first half. Michael Gbinije led the Orange with eight points going into the half, six of those points from beyond the three-point line.

Mirroring Gbinije on the other side was Hatter, who led the Big Red in the first half with eight points as well.

 

Syracuse Goes On Second Half Run

The trend continued early in the second half, with Cornell once again taking the lead away from Syracuse with a three by Big Red freshman Matt Morgan and a three-point play by Hatter, making it 32-30.

But, a three-pointer made by Trevor Cooney a minute into the second half quickly changed the momentum for the Orange. Syracuse shot tremendously better from the perimeter in the second half than in the first, sinking 4 out of 9 threes.

By the time the run was over, Syracuse had outscored Cornell 25-4.

 

Spreading the wealth

After leading SU in scoring in the first half, Gbinije scored only four points in the second half. Cornell double-teamed him off the ball screen throughout the entire game, making it difficult for Syracuse’s top scorer to get shots off.

But the Big Red's suffocating defense on Gbinije opened up more opportunities for the Orange’s other players. Freshman forward Malachi Richardson and junior forward Tyler Roberson led Syracuse in scoring, each finishing with 15 points. Meanwhile, Gbinije found a new offensive role, ending up with a game-high 8 assists.

"When a guy becomes elite status, [the other team's] whole game plans are designed to stop [him]," Coach Mike Hopkins said of Cornell's defense on Gbinije. "You have to have those other guys stepping up and making plays. I thought we were extremely unselfish tonight trying to help each other."

Roberson also led Syracuse in rebounds, finishing the day with 12 boards. Overall, Syracuse out-rebounded Cornell 48-27.

"I went out there trying to get 15," Roberson said. "When I focus on just getting rebounds, everything comes to me. Just from playing hard...instead of just focusing on trying to score."

The Orange-Big Red matchup concluded with SU putting in its walk-ons. The Carrier Dome was the loudest it had been all day as walk-on freshman Adrian Autry, the son of the assistant coach and former SU star, scored the final points of the game with two free throws.

"The one thing that I'm learning is, it's one play at a time," Hopkins said. "This game has so many highs and lows. You just got to keep your guys positive. Keep fighting. Keep doing what you do and do it better."

Game Notes

This is the 121^st matchup between the Orange and the Big Red, the first meeting dating back over 100 years ago in the 1901-1902 season. Syracuse has not lost to Cornell since 1968.

Gbinije nearly finished the game with a triple-double, with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Trevor Cooney led the Orange in three-point shooting, making 3 out of 7. Cooney finished with 10 points.

Cornell's Robert Hatter was the only member of the Big Red to score in double figures, ending up with 14 points. Behind Hatter was freshman Matt Morgan, who finished with nine.


Up Next
 

Syracuse plays host to Montana State this Tuesday, Dec. 22. That game is slated to start at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

Cornell returns home for a non-conference matchup against Monmouth on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 6 p.

Slide show

Here are few more pictures. Click on any photo to start brief slide show.
 

St. John's upsets Orange at Madison Square Garden

By Michael Castellano
Photos from redstormsports.com


New York, N.Y - "New York's Team" was the chant of choice for the outnumbered group of St. John's fans who got the final cheer during the last seconds of play Sunday afternoon in Orange-packed Madison Square Garden, as the squad billed as "New York's College Team" fell to the Red Storm for the second straight year, 84-72.

St. John's (7-3, 0-0 Big East) had five players score in double figures led by freshman sensation Federico Mussini of Italy who put in 17 points on 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc. 

Syracuse (7-3, 0-0 ACC) shot just 19-percent from three (5-26) on the afternoon to St. John's 50-percent (12-24), several from well beyond the NBA line, and was outrebounded 51-36. Michael Gbinije had another solid performance for Syracuse, putting in 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists.

Red Storm starts strong

St. John's came roaring out of the gate taking a 7-2 lead four minutes into play. The Orange steamed back using a 12-4 run to take a 14-11 lead capped by a Tyler Lydon layup. 

But Coach Chris Mullin's  young Johnnies, who lost their top six scorers from last season, finished the half on a 10-4 run highlighted by two three-pointers from Mussini in the final two minutes. The led at the half, 40-31.

"I know when I'm open I need to keep shooting," Mussini said. "My teammates were finding me and I was knocking them down."

Second half: Red Storm holds Orange at bay

Syracuse hung with St. John's early in the second half as freshman Malachi Richardson scored eight points in the first six minutes to keep the SJU lead within striking distance at 48-39.

But Syracuse hit just one three-pointer in the final period and couldn't control St. John's behind the perimeter as the Red Storm went 7-11 from three in the second half.

"The difference in the game was the shooting," Syracuse interim head coach Mike Hopkins said. "We had open looks we just couldn't knock them down."

Missed Orange opportunities

The Orange cut the deficit to seven with 3:14 to play with a pair of free throws by Richardson, who finished the game with 15 points on just 4-20 shooting including 0-11 from three.

Things looked positive for Syracuse in the final minutes as its full-court trap proved effective resulting in three steals in the final three minutes, but the Orange missed three layups in a row that would have cut the lead down to just one.

Needing to foul, Syracuse sent Mussini to the line with just over a minute to play. The freshman from Italy hit both giving the Red Storm a 81-72 lead and putting the game out of reach for SU.

"I think this was the best win of my life in the world's most famous arena," Mussini said.

Syracuse was limited to just two points in transition as the St. John's defense shut down  the break.

"We did a good job limiting them in transition and stopping their threes," Mullin said. "Their bigs can run. When they get out and run, that's when they really find their rhythm."

Game notes:

The St. John's win marks the first time the Johnnies have notched consecutive wins over the Orange since the 1992-1993 season. They defeated Syracuse last season 69-57 in the Carrier Dome.

It's also the first time St. John's has defeated Syracuse at Madison Square Garden since January of 2007. St. John's moved to 7-3 on the season and picked up its second win over a major conference foe (Rutgers - 11/19).

Syracuse continued to struggle from the free throw line, hitting just 19-31. Tyler Roberson struggled most, making just one of eight.  The Orange is now shooting under 69-percent from the line this season.

Trevor Cooney had eleven points for Syracuse, but made just one of eleven from three-point range.

After winning its first six games including taking home the Battle4Atlantis championship, Syracuse has now lost three of its last four games, two of those against former Big East rivals Georgetown and St. John's.

Next

Syracuse returns to action next Saturday with a non-conference matchup against Cornell at the Carrier Dome. Tip-off is slated for noon.

St. John's hosts Incarnate Word, Friday night at the on-campus Carnesecca Arena.

Arizona State Wins the Rebound Battle, Ends Orange Streak

Story and video by Brian Armstrong
Photos by Zach Francis

 

Syracuse N.Y.— No. 24 Arizona State (5-3) dominated the boards in 61-54 win over No. 19 Syracuse (6-3) at the Carrier Dome Saturday afternoon.

The ASU victory ended the Orange's 72-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents, the longest in the nation. 

Rebounds make difference

Arizona State rebounded the ball 21 more times than Syracuse, dominating the boards the entire  game.

“It’s just not acceptable,” Syracuse center Briana Day said.

The Sun Devils went into halftime with an 18-10 rebound advantage that aided in their 3-point lead over the Orange at 29-26. Even though Arizona State and Syracuse were tied at two second chance points each, the 13-7 defensive rebound advantage for Arizona State kept Syracuse’s shooters from warming up as they hit just over 38-percent from the floor in the first half. 

The second half is where the inside presence of the game truly shifted. Arizona State doubled up Syracuse in number of rebounds, 26-13 in the second half.

The Sun Devils had 44 rebounds, 18 of those offensive with Elisha Davis leading the way at 10 total. The Orange had 23 boards for the game with nine offensive.  Briana Day had seven boards followed by Cornelia Fondren with four.
 

Shooting From Downtown

The first half was very similar for both teams with each making four from three-point range. Arizona State went 50 percent from three on 4 of 8 shooting. Arnecia Hawkins knocked down both of her attempts from deep.

Syracuse took only one more attempt for the same amount of threes made.  Four different players made a three for Syracuse..

Both teams shot poorly from beyond the arc in the second half, making just two each. Arizona State connected on under 29 percent and Syracuse on just 17 percent from behind the arc in the last two quarters.

“This wasn't our night, but it wasn't our night because Arizona State made it not our night,” SU  head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “I have got to give them a ton of credit, they did an excellent job."

Lead Changes

There were nine lead changes and four ties in the game, all of which, came in the first half.

Arizona State knocked down back-to-back threes at the end of the second quarter to take the lead. For the rest of the game the Sun Devils never gave it back.

The largest lead Syracuse had was three at 15-12 early in the second quarter on a Brittney Sykes jumper.

Arizona State started the third quarter with a 4-0 run and from that point on the lead for Arizona State was never less than four and was as high as 11.

“We just didn’t execute, we just couldn’t execute,” Fondren said.

Game Notes

 

Alexis Peterson led all scorers with 15 but left the game by being helped off the court after sustaining an ankle injury near the end of the game.

Butler now ranks 10^th in all time program scoring history. Her 13 points gives her a career total of 1,261 passing Paula Moore.

Syracuse only shot two free throws for the entire game and none in the second half.  Arizona State made 13 from the foul line on 22 attempts.

Look ahead

The Orange women are off until Monday, December 21 when they host Jacksonville. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. at the Dome.

Arizona State's East Coast trip continues with a huge challenge ahead, as the Sun Devils will play in Hartford against  No. 1 UConn Monday December 14.

Postgame video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGHCJk-SqD8 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByRpkvJyElA

Syracuse vs Arizona St in Photos

Syracuse, N.Y. - Arizona State beat the Syracuse Orange Women at the Carrier Dome Saturday 61-54, ending Syracuse's 72-game non-conference home win streak, which was the longest in the nation. Here is the game in pictures by Zach Francis. Click on any photo to start slide show.