Thirty-three seconds into the game, Miranda Drummond drilled a 3-pointer. Less than half a minute later, she converted another. Four more field goals and a free throw later, Syracuse was up 15-0 less than three minutes into the final game of the Paradise Jam Tournament. It was a blink-and-you-miss-it stretch in which the Orange only missed one shot.

“We kept attacking,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “We ran some good stuff, got some open looks. We took advantage of our opportunities.”

The early run secured Syracuse’s (6-0), 74-62, win over George Washington and the Reef Division title. Syracuse won the first two games of the tournament by a combined nine points. In Saturday’s game in Washington, D.C., it never trailed and at one point led by 21.

For the first time in four years, SU has started 6-0.

Last season, the Orange survived the Colonials’ fourth-quarter comeback and pulled out a 3-point win in the Gulf Coast Showcase. This year, Syracuse evened the all-time series at 2-2 thanks to a dominant first half anchored by two scoring runs.

“We did a really good job of staying aggressive in the first half and getting quality shots,” Hillsman said. “At the end of the day, we did our job. We got a big lead and kept the lead.”

Syracuse finished the first quarter with 31 points, tying a season-high total for points in a quarter. Fifteen of those points came from behind the arc. Orange shooters went five-for-seven and for the first time this season, SU was connecting from three early.

Tiana Mangakahia, a day removed from setting SU’s single-game assist record, dished out seven more in the opening frame. She finished with 11 points and 10 assists, securing another double-double performance.

The second quarter started and so did another scoring run. Syracuse connected on five more 3-pointers, four of which came in the midst of a 19-3 stretch in the middle of the frame.

Gabrielle Cooper led SU’s scorers with 15 points. The sophomore tied her season-high total in points after knocking down four 3-pointers. Four other Orange finished with double-digit points. In every game this season, SU has had at least three scorers with double-digit points.

The game slowed in the third, with the two teams combining for just 23 points. The Colonials cut the lead to single-digits in the fourth, and outscored SU, 20-8, overall. But by then it was too little too late.

“Physically,” Hillsman said, “we were great. We did a really good job of getting up and down the floor. Last year we struggled with these three game tournaments. I think we were 1-2 in both of them. This year, this team fought through it.”

Syracuse returns home this Thursday to face Northwestern.

Published on November 25, 2017 at 6:11 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez