Over winter break, in a gym built for Division II Rollins College, Syracuse finally got its first win over a ranked opponent in 2019.

A half-court heave at the buzzer to force overtime against Green Bay on Nov. 30 set the Orange back, and an overtime loss at No. 24 Michigan on Dec. 5 prolonged Syracuse’s search for a resume-boosting win. Even when SU lost four of five games, head coach Quentin Hillsman deflected reporters’ concerns and said “we’ll be right back in it.”

“You say we’re in trouble,” Hillsman said. “But it won’t be long (before) we’re back to ranked.”

Though the time and setting may not have been how Hillsman envisioned it, Syracuse’s 77-63 win over No. 19 Michigan State (7-3) is the first step of returning to where the Orange were in the preseason: Inside the AP Top 25. The victory at Warden Arena in Winter Park, Florida also gives SU (6-4) much-needed momentum heading into its toughest stretch of the season – with three more upcoming top-25 opponents including No. 6 Louisville and No. 8 Florida State.

Out of the blizzard in Central New York and into the neutral site in the suburbs of Orlando, Syracuse came out with the hot hand. The Orange converted on 10 of their first 13 shot attempts, jumping out to an early 25-8 lead in the first quarter. Senior guard Gabrielle Cooper, who sank three 3-pointers in the first, finished 4-for-10 from behind the arc for a team-high 19 points.

But the Orange couldn’t bank on the long ball, as Cooper made four of the team’s five 3s on 19 attempts (26%). In the second quarter, Syracuse struggled on the offensive end, scoring just 11 points in the frame. Still, SU entered halftime with a 38-30 lead.

Instead of continuing to launch from the perimeter, SU pounded the ball inside. The Orange outscored Michigan State in the paint (38 to 28) and at the free throw line (20 to 16).

A combination of sophomore Emily Engstler and redshirt sophomore Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi led Syracuse’s paint presence. With 13 points and 17 rebounds, Engstler tallied her sixth double-double of the season. After a tumultuous freshman season, Engstler is leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in rebounds per game (11) and has become arguably Syracuse’s most important player, impacting the game on both ends. Engstler added five assists and two blocks.

Forward Djaldi-Tabdi also continued her strong play on Friday. Off the bench, the Paris, France product scored 16 points in 16 minutes on 5-for-6 from the floor. She’s scored in double-digits four times this year, once more than starting center Amaya Finklea-Guity.

The Orange opened the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead, but Michigan State cut that down to three with five minutes to play. From there, Taleah Washington finished a putback layup off a Kiara Lewis miss and Syracuse’s press forced MSU errors, leading to easy points for Lewis (18 points, six rebounds, five assists) at the free throw line.

But the Spartans hung around. It wasn’t until Cooper’s 3-pointer with 63 seconds remaining that Syracuse could breathe with a 10-point lead.

Syracuse’s next “opportunity,” as Hillsman likes to put it, comes on Sunday against No. 22 West Virginia in the same gym.

Published on December 20, 2019 at 5:03 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman