Suzanne Gilreath’s 3-point attempt with two seconds left in the game could’ve sent the contest to overtime. Instead, the shot missed and Digna Strautmane pulled down her sixth rebound to clinch Syracuse’s win.

“We just got stops,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “We were amazing in the fourth quarter.”

A game that had 11 lead changes ended with the Orange (4-0) outlasting Wisconsin (2-2), 77-74, in the first game of the three-day Paradise Jam Tournament in Washington D.C. Before Thursday, the two teams had never squared off. Syracuse secured its first 4-0 start in two years after being upset last season by Drexel. SU was led by its two early-season standouts, Tiana Mangakahia and Miranda Drummond, and an unexpected contributor in Raven Fox.

Mangakahia and Drummond did most of their damage in the first half. The point guard nearly had a double-double at half with 10 points and nine assists. She finished with season-highs in both, 19 and 14. Drummond finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Fox, a Bladensburg, Maryland native, tallied eight points, four rebounds and one assist in 10 first-half minutes. She added a 3-pointer in the second half and posted a season-high in points and minutes (21).

“Raven was tough,” Hillsman said. “She did a really good job on being aggressive. She was very athletic for us and did some good stuff.”

The junior transfer from Gulf Coast State College provided much-needed depth. She accounted for more than 50 percent of SU’s bench points.  Both Strautmane and Drummond were in foul trouble and had limited second-half minutes. Drummond was sidelined for most of the fourth quarter with four fouls. She entered the game with three minutes remaining and fouled out with 41 seconds to go.

The teams were close in many statistical categories. SU posted a 42 percent field goal percentage, Wisconsin shot 46 percent. The Orange had 12 turnovers, the Badgers had 15. The one difference came at the free-throw line. Syracuse went 14-for-15 from the stripe, while Wisconsin was 14-for-22.

The game grinded to a halt in the third quarter. The teams combined for 25 points and only three baskets were made in the final 4 minutes of play. In a back-and-forth final frame, SU did enough to stay undefeated.

“Our team really played a tough second half,” Hillsman said. “We got down in half court and we put our pressure on them.”

Syracuse faces Vanderbilt on Friday for the second game of the weekend set.

Published on November 23, 2017 at 2:24 pm

Contact Nick: [email protected] | @nick_a_alvarez