Syracuse Women’s Basketball: Orange Pick Up First Round NCAA Win
By Josh Peelman
The Syracuse Women’s Basketball team won their first round game 85-65 over Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament. Inside the Loud recaps the game and what’s next for the Orange.
Boy, did the Syracuse Women’s Basketball team make this one look easy. It was over from the tip as the Orange quickly took a lead they would never relinquish. When ESPN 2 switched coverage to another game in the Women’s tournament at halftime, you know its a blowout. Let’s take a look at the game though.
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Gabby Cooper, the freshman wing set a career high with 24 points, going 8-15, all from three, according to ESPN.com. The three ball was the key in this game, as the Syracuse Women’s Basketball team made 15 of 29 three’s in the contest. That’s good for 52% as a team from downtown. When you’re shooting the three-ball that well you don’t stop, and that’s exactly what the Orange did.
Per usual, Alexis Peterson was wheeling and dealing, and Brittney Sykes had another great scoring game. In addition with Douglas shooting lights out from three, and the Day sisters grabbing a ton of rebounds (15 combined), the Iowa State Cyclones never had a chance.
Solid Offensive Day for the Orange:
Peterson finished with 25 points, 8 assists, and 5 steals, according to ESPN’s box score. Meanwhile, her backcourt mate Brittney Sykes finished with 28 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. All around Syracuse had a tremendous day, shooting 41% from the field, as well as 52% from three as stated before.
Furthermore, Briana Day’s 13 rebound day gave the Orange lots of extra possessions and second opportunities. The Cyclones on the other hand had a tough day, shooting 38% from the field, and 30% from three. That three point differential was key in this game.
Defense Wins Championships:
The Syracuse Women pressured early and often and as a result, that led to 14 steals and 18 Iowa State turnovers according to ESPN.com. The 2-3 zone defense made it hard for Iowa State guards Jadda Buckley and Seanna Johnson to penetrate and get good shots. Buckley finished with 11 points and 3 assists, while Johnson finished with 21 points, and 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Johnson was a star, making 7 of 10 from the field. Unfortunately, she didn’t get enough scoring from the rest of her team for her to carry them.
As a result, the Orange now move onto the second round to take on the UConn Huskies who they played in the National Championship last year and lost 82-51. The Huskies will be playing in front of their hometown fans in their own building as the number one overall seed. To further complicate things, the odds are against the Orange as the Huskies are riding a 108 game winning streak into this game by beating the University of Albany by 61 today, 116-55.
Next: Syracuse Women’s Basketball: Alexis Peterson- Transforming Syracuse With Heart
The Second Round game versus #1 Connecticut is scheduled for Monday, March 20th, time set for 6:35pm in Gampel Pavilion. The game will be shown on ESPN2. Let’s hope the Orange find a way to pull out a stunner against the Huskies.
For all things Syracuse Women’s Basketball, be sure to come back and read Inside The Loud House’s coverage on the team as they play towards a National Championship.