Women's Basketball

Day grabs 18 rebounds, scores 15 points in Orange home win

Larry E. Reid Jr. | Staff Photographer

Briana Day went up for a shot in Syracuse's win over Pittsburgh on Sunday. She had 18 rebounds, 15 points to lead the way.

Briana Day didn’t have to score to make a difference. She didn’t even have to touch the ball. All she had to do was rotate on defense, lift her hands upward and restrict the shooting angle for Pittsburgh’s forwards.

But Day did more than just stifle the Panthers on the defensive end. She was Syracuse’s most efficient player and helped pull the Orange to victory with 15 points, 18 rebounds, five blocks and three steals.

“If you put that stat line out there and she had zero points, you’d be happy with that three (steals) and five (blocks),” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “She did a tremendous job, you have to give her a lot of credit.”

In No. 25 Syracuse’s (20-8, 10-5 Atlantic Coast) 68-54 win over the Panthers (18-9, 8-6)  on Sunday afternoon in the Carrier Dome, Day did a bit of everything. The win put Syracuse at 20 wins overall and 10 in the ACC, two marks that Hillsman highlighted as necessary to feel comfortable about postseason hopes.

With two minutes left in the first half, SU assistant coach Sasha Palmer waved Day over to her while guard Alexis Peterson shot free throws. Palmer lifted her right arm out to her side and up in the air demonstrating how to defend Pitt’s forwards.



The players Day was defending were bigger than her and she said she struggles defensively when bigger players back her down in the post. Day said Palmer told her to get in front of Pittsburgh’s players to minimize their advantage.

“I’m just as big as they are in my heart,” Day said. “You have to think like that, honestly. It’s a mental thing, like if you say ‘Oh, I know they’re bigger than me,’ you’re going to play like you’re smaller.”

Day’s defensive contributions were only part of her dominance. In the second half, she was contributing all over the court.

When Isabella Slim airballed a 3-pointer with 16 minutes left, the ball bounced on the court and flew out of bounds. But it was Day who sprinted to the corner, jumped in the air and saved it by passing to Peterson. By the time her momentum stopped, she was well past Syracuse’s bench and farther away from the court than some fans.

She then perfectly executed a pick-and-roll with Peterson to give SU a 54-50 lead. Two possessions later, she stole the ball from Aysia Bugg. Ten seconds after that, Day snagged an offensive rebound.

“She keeps the ball alive, gives them second chances with rebounding,” Pitt head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said. “She changes players’ shots defensively with her length. “They don’t really come with a double team when she’s on the floor. She’s a difference-maker for them at both ends.”

Day played nearly the entire game for SU because she committed only three fouls — tied for a conference-play low. And as a result, Day used her athleticism and time on the court to produce.

McConnell-Serio said Day has come a long way since last year and is continuing to piece together a stellar season. But Day has stayed humble throughout the entire season and just like her play, it continued after another big game on Sunday.

“I don’t think I’m playing my best, but I think I’m playing pretty well,” Day said. “Just playing hard and doing what I can to help my team.”





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