Syracuse was 94 feet, a half-court heave and seconds away from escaping with a win. 

Two free throws by Alisha Lewis with two seconds remaining gave SU a three-point lead. But Green Bay’s Lyndsey Robson’s half-court buzzer-beater forced overtime and salvaged what would’ve been a game-winning 24-13 Syracuse run that started at the end of the third quarter. 

Syracuse, without leading scorer Kiara Lewis, backup point guard Taleah Washington and backup center Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi — who all fouled out — couldn’t keep up with Green Bay (5-3) in overtime. The shorthanded Orange (4-3) shot 21-for-32 (65%) from the free throw line in the 79-73 loss. 

Syracuse started the game out on a 6-0 run with back-to-back 3s from Emily Engstler and Gabrielle Cooper. But Green Bay responded with a 13-0 run leading SU head coach Quentin Hillsman to call a timeout. After their 6-5 lead early in the game, the Orange would trail for more than the next 30 minutes of game time. 

The Orange entered the second quarter behind 20-18, but their offense continued to struggle. Though Kiara Lewis went 3-for-3 from the field in the second quarter, SU scored just 12 points in the period, going into halftime down 37-30. 

A 14-0 Syracuse run between the end of the third and the start of the fourth quarter changed the game. During that stretch, Lewis, Digna Strautmane and Enstler all converted from deep to give SU a 55-49 advantage.

While the Orange held Green Bay to one point for the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter, their offense couldn’t extend their lead enough. Two Green Bay 3-pointers with less than a minute left cut the deficit to 57-56. From then on, the teams exchanged free throws until Robson’s overtime-forcing half-court heave. 

With SU plagued by foul trouble, Lewis, a freshman, stepped up to play 13 minutes. But by playing with a shorter rotation, Syracuse struggled to contain Green Bay guard Caitlyn Hibner, who scored 30 points, including 10 in overtime. 

Throughout the game, both teams struggled on the offensive end. Green Bay shot 33% compared to Syracuse’s 32% from the field. The Orange coughed up 14 turnovers, which the Phoenix turned into 16 points.

Engstler led Syracuse with her fourth double-double of the season, recording 12 points and 16 boards. Lewis and Strautmane both added 16 points.

Saturday’s game was the Orange’s final contest in their trip to Victoria, British Columbia for the Greater Victoria Invitational. SU beat Houston in the first round, but lost to No. 3 Stanford, 77-59, on Friday night before falling to Green Bay. 

Published on November 30, 2019 at 11:10 pm

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