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GREENSBORO, N.C. — With Syracuse trailing 54-43 with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Syracuse guard Kiara Lewis drove from the top of the key and into the paint. As Lewis dribbled, Louisville’s defense collapsed, and the redshirt senior passed to her right to a wide-open Emily Engstler.

After catching the pass, Engstler paused and pump-faked. The unnecessary fake gave Louisville’s Norika Konno time to recover in defense. After the pump fake, Engstler stepped back to reset, dribbling between her legs before taking one dribble toward the basket. With Konno’s hand in her face, Engstler pulled-up, draining the contested triple from a foot behind the arc. 

In the fourth quarter, Lewis barreled down court in transition, with Digna Strautmane to her right and Engstler to her left. With defenders focused on Lewis, she threw left to Engstler, who paused, gazed at the basket and fired. Engstler’s shot hit nothing but net with 7:09 left in the fourth quarter. After cutting Louisville’s lead to 61-53, Louisville head coach Jeff Walz called a timeout.

Despite Engstler’s season-high 21 points, Syracuse (14-8, 10-8 Atlantic Coast) fell to the top-seeded Cardinals (24-2, 15-2) 72-59 in the ACC tournament semifinals. While Engstler was awarded the C0-Sixth Player of the Year award in the regular season, she started all three games of the ACC tournament, sitting just two total minutes throughout. Against Louisville, Engstler led all scorers and grabbed 10 rebounds — tied for most in the game. Throughout the conference tournament, a shorthanded Syracuse team used the versatile junior all over the court.

“We needed her to play a lot of roles for us,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said of Engstler. “We needed her to score the basketball. We needed her to handle the ball some, and she did all those things for us.”

With SU trailing 48-41 in the third quarter, Engstler settled into a low-post position on the right block. With a Louisville defender elbowing her back, Engstler raised her hand, calling for the ball from forward Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi. The redshirt junior immediately obliged. Once Engstler grabbed the pass, she swiveled around while keeping her left foot planted and faced up her defender. 

Looking straight at the basket, Engstler rose and hit the midrange contested jumper, cutting Louisville’s lead to five. Then on defense, Cardinal forward Elizabeth Dixon’s midrange jumper clanked off the side of the rim. 

Engstler, positioned underneath the basket, lept backward into Konno. After successfully blocking out Konno, Engstler grabbed the defensive rebound and began an SU fast break. A couple of possessions later, Engstler began another when Cardoso passed to her after grabbing a defensive rebound. The forward smoothly dribbled upcourt, setting SU’s offense and acting as a de facto point guard.

“Anytime you have a player that can play pretty much five positions for you now on the floor, you got a special player,” Hillsman said of Engstler. “She was amazing during this tournament, and I thought that she stepped up and gave us a chance to win every game.”

Regardless of her role throughout Syracuse’s tournament run, Engstler found opportunities to contribute. 

Engstler hit all but one of Syracuse’s 3-pointers on Saturday, as the team combined to shoot just 3-for-17 from behind the arc. The forward also took more shots from the free-throw line than any other SU player, finishing 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. No matter who Louisville defended Engstler with, the versatile forward found different ways to attack the Cardinals.

With just six players available against Louisville, there was increased pressure on the junior. While Cardoso, Lewis and Strautmane all spent time on the bench due to foul trouble, Engstler played the entire game. 

While the Cardinals lead the ACC in scoring, averaging nearly 80 points per game due to their quick tempo, Hillsman said that style benefited Engstler. 

The versatile Engstler can press defenses on fast breaks, cutting to the rim or leaking out to the perimeter. In slower half-court offensive sets — which Syracuse largely played Saturday — Engstler posted up defenders, stepped outside from deep or crashed the glass for offensive rebounds. Engstler finished with three offensive boards — tied for the most of any player on either team. 

With 5:30 left in the fourth quarter, Strautmane stepped behind the arc for a 3 after Cardoso pulled down an offensive rebound. Once Syracuse swung passes to Strautmane on the left wing, the forward rose for a triple. Her shot bounced off the front iron, but Engstler was underneath the basket, and she secured a rebound over two Louisville defenders. 

The junior immediately jumped for a shot and was fouled, where she made one-of-two free throws. 

“Emily’s always been a great player,” center Amaya Finklea-Guity said. “She played awesome this whole tournament.”

Published on March 6, 2021 at 4:44 pm

Contact Thomas: [email protected] | @ThomasShults_