Orange women’s basketball slides by Hawks

Orange women's basketball slides by Hawks

Syracuse shots nearly 50% from 3-point range in early-season rout of Marland-Eastern Shore.

Story by Alyssa Lyons / Photos by Zoë Davis

Published: November 13, 2019

Syracuse improved to 2-0 on the season and 7-0 against Maryland-Eastern Shore all-time Tuesday night (65-50) with four players scoring double figures for the Orange.

Shooting efficiently behind the 3-point line with 14-29, the team helped secure head coach Quentin Hillsman 290th career victory.

Emily Engstler had her first career double-double, grabbing 15 points and 11 rebounds, with three blocks on the night. Forward Digna Strautmane made a career-high five 3-pointers, totaling 17 points for Syracuse. The first of those five gave the Orange a 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, a tough beginning for a nationally ranked team playing a mid-major visitor. Engstler scored the first five points in the second quarter and found some offensive assistance in Taleah Washington who hit back-to-back three-pointers, setting the Orange up for a 29-20 lead over the Hawks at the half.

At the beginning of the second half, Syracuse found momentum, outscoring the Hawks 17-9 despite multiple turnovers (5). The Orange forced 17 turnovers on the night, slightly more than their 10 forced turnovers against Ohio.

Former Orange standout and current WNBA Atlanta Dream player Brittney Sykes returned to the Dome during her break from playing overseas in Spain. The first-round draft pick, once dubbed “the grandma,” has since been passed down to senior Gabrielle Cooper, who had 11 points on the night rounding out a 15-point lead to end the game.

The Orange will need that leadership from Cooper, as well as confident performances from underclassmen, if they’re to be ready when nationally-ranked Oregon comes to town on Nov. 24. The Ducks have the returning NCAA player of the year in Sabrina Ionescu. Ionescu averaged just under 20 points on 44% shooting last year.