Syracuse women’s basketball: Orange snap losing streak with 66-61 victory over Miami

The Orange take down the Hurricanes for their first conference win.

The Syracuse Orange ended a three-game skid with a 66-61 home win over the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday. This is their first conference win, as they were previously 0-4 against ACC opponents, and they have improved their record to 7-9 on the season.

Prior to this matchup, both squads were struggling to get back into the win column; on January 9, the Orange fell 71-72 to SMU in overtime, and on January 5, Miami was defeated 68-64 by Virginia Tech.

From the jump, it was apparent that this Orange team was looking to push the pace. At the 9:18 mark, Izabel Varejão scored the first bucket for the ‘Cuse with a quick layup off of an inside pass from Journey Thompson. The 6’4 graduate student also grabbed three rebounds in the opening minutes.

Syracuse’s intensity showed both on the offensive and defensive ends, stifling Miami and forcing seven turnovers in the first quarter. Miami averages 17.1 turnovers per game.

The Orange defense double-teamed star guard Haley Cavinder, who leads the Hurricanes in points, rebounds and assists this season, and held her scoreless in the first period. She averages 17.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 33.2 minutes per contest.

Syracuse’s ball movement excelled in the opening quarter, as eight of the first nine made field goals for the Orange were assisted. This squad also found easy looks inside, but failed to capitalize on many of them, keeping the game tight. Syracuse left 17-12 after one, with their defense setting the tone.

Two minutes into the second quarter, Haley broke her dry spell and got the ball rolling for Miami with an and-one layup. Both groups struggled to connect from beyond the arc, Miami going 2/11 — both baskets by 28% three-point-shooter Darrione Rogers — and Syracuse going 1/9, the lone three-pointer by sophomore guard Angelica Velez.

Velez, who notched a career high 10 assists in a January 5 loss against Florida State, scored a tough and-one to give the Orange a 31-23 lead going into halftime. Syracuse scored 17 points off turnovers and 16 points in the paint in the first half.

Syracuse started the second half strong, with Velez scoring a quick layup. Miami responded, cutting the lead to three points twice in the quarter, thanks in part to Rogers’ sharpshooting.

Rogers, who finished the night with 23 points and seven three-pointers, kept Miami in the game. However, Georgia Woolley’s timely three-pointer late in the third extended Syracuse’s lead, and a 7-0 run to close the quarter gave the Orange a 50-38 cushion.

The Hurricanes mounted a late-game charge in the fourth quarter, with Rogers continuing to knock down threes. She hit her sixth and seventh triples to keep the pressure on Syracuse, the latter of which was an insanely difficult step-back bank shot from the “JMA” logo.

The last few minutes of the fourth featured a long exchange of hasty Miami possessions and tense Syracuse free throw attempts (as a result of the Hurricanes’ intentional fouling). Woolley, an 89.2% free throw shooter, missed two free throws, leaving the door cracked for what would have been a miraculous Miami comeback. Woolley, however, sealed an Orange victory after nailing her next two attempts after being fouled again.

Kyra Wood, in her first game back from concussion protocol, also provided critical plays on both ends of the court, including a layup that gave Syracuse an eight-point lead with 50 seconds to go in the fourth. She finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds this game, earning her fourth double-double of the season.

Looking ahead, the Orange will head to Kentucky to face another ACC opponent, the Louisville Cardinals, on Thursday January 16. At 12-5, Louisville has the second best record in the Conference, trailing only Notre Dame.