Strautmane hits five from deep, leads Orange to victory over Maryland Eastern Shore

Strautmane hits five from deep, leads Orange to victory

Strautmane had a game-high 17 points.
Published: December 5, 2018
Syracuse women’s vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
Digna Strautmane goes up for a three over Maryland Eastern Shore's Ksenia Popovich. Strautmane went 5-7 from deep.

 

In their second-straight game scoring over 90 points, the Syracuse women’s basketball team (8-2) remains undefeated at home. With big performances from Amaya Finklea-Guity, Miranda Drummond, Digna Strautmane, Tiana Mangakahia and Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, the Orange were able to dominate Maryland Eastern Shore (2-6), 96-51.

“Obviously getting to this point in the season, 8-2 is really good for us,” Syracuse Head Coach Quentin Hillsman said. “We’re in a good place.”

A slow first quarter led to Maryland taking a 24-21 lead after the first 10 minutes, but the 15th-ranked Orange came back with a vengeance in the second quarter. Before the half, the Orange went on a 31-7 run, leaving the Hawks far behind.

Syracuse started the game with a full-court press, forcing 10 turnovers from the Hawks in the first half. Maryland wanted to shoot from far out, but the Orange eventually put that to a halt. The Hawks ended the first half shooting 13-31 in field goals and 4-15 from the three but finished the second half only 8-27 from the field and 2-12 from deep.

“I think that was the reason our second quarter was so big,” Hillsman said. “We were able to get stops, and we were able to get the ball in the basket.”

Strautmane’s was hot from the three-point line, knocking down three from deep in the first quarter alone. Ultimately, she went 6-9 from the field and 5-7 from threes for a game-high 17 points. Drummond pitched in with 15 points and three blocks and three steals on defense; along with Finklea-Guity, Mangakahia, and Djaldi-Tabdi with 14 points each.

“I have to improve even more because when we’re going to play against bigger players and better defenders, it’s going to be even harder, so I just have to get better,” Strautmane said of her performance.

Hillsman praised Strautmane’s performance, calling her an “inside-out player.”

“Digna can shoot the ball,” he said. “Anytime we’re playing with that kind of balance, we’re going to definitely benefit from that. She did a good job, and she’s been aggressive on the offensive end.“

The Orange’s shots from deep definitely won them the contest tonight, knocking down 16 threes. But they were just as aggressive closer to the basket. Syracuse ended with 34 points in the paint, in addition to 32 points off turnovers. The team played hard, both offensively and defensively.

“They shot good shots,” Hillsman said. “They were open, and they didn’t pass up good shots and that’s what it’s about. We’ve got to really take shots when we have opportunities.”

Djladi-Tabdi has an increased confidence with each game but said she still has room to improve.

“I’m getting more and more confident, but I still have a little work to do,” Djaldi-Tabdi said. “I had six turnovers because I was hesitating too much, so I still have a lot to do.”

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Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi goes up for a shot over her defender.

Finklea-Guity praised Djaldi-Tabdi’s work thus far.

“She’s made tremendous progress already,” Finklea-Guity said. “She’s definitely working hard — she’s pushing me every day, I’m pushing her and we’re definitely battling, so I think that helps a lot too.”

Defensively, the Orange outrebounded the Hawks by 17, snagging 47 boards compared to the Hawks’ 30.

Redshirt freshman Marie-Paule Foppossi sunk a jumper for her second-ever basket as a player for the Orange. Junior Chelayne Bailey also scored her first points of the season with a field goal.

The Orange will take a 12-day hiatus and come back to the Dome to face Niagara on Dec. 17 at 11 a.m.

“This time for all of us is going to be really good to get some rest,” Hillsman said. “I really feel good about the effort and how hard our kids played today.”