Heartbreak in the Dome for Syracuse Women’s Basketball in a 72-71 OT thriller against SMU
By Josh Solomon | @JoshSolo29
A 10:30am start in Syracuse for School Day Thursday where many students fill the stands to support Syracuse Women’s Basketball’s first ever matchup against a new ACC foe in SMU. However, the Central New York weather failed to cooperate with nearly 12,000 students expected to pack the seats, most of them calling for a snow day.
Nevertheless, Syracuse with less fans in the stands you could say had a better chance to lock in and focus on the task at hand which was SMU. The first quarter started with a dominant SMU offensive attack quickly going ahead 11-4. This combined with a 23% effort from the field for SU didn’t mix well. However, the Orange were able to hold up for the most part only behind 16-10 at the end of the first.
Into second quarter action, both teams improved from the field shooting over 40%. SU’s Journey Thompson contributed back-to-back layups early in the frame and went into halftime with six points. Despite Thompson’s effort though, Syracuse trailed Southern Methodist by one point at the break.
Out of halftime it was all Syracuse who pounced on the sloppy SMU squad early. Back-to-back three pointers by SU guard Sophie Burrows in the corner started the Orange off on the right foot. A weapon that the Mustangs had on their side though was the third best scorer in the conference. SMU guard Nya Roberston was on fire in the second half and finished with 28 points in the contest. With her help, the Mustangs were ahead 49-48 at the end of quarter three.
The fourth quarter saw an explosion from SU’s Journey Thompson who finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds. But her efforts weren’t enough to end the contest just yet. With the game on the line and a 64-64 score, SMU had just under 30 seconds to get a victory. After a Zanai Jones missed three point attempt though, there was extra basketball in CNY.
An exciting overtime featured different emotions for the team but one player in particular felt a little more special. Syracuse guard Georgia Woolley celebrated last year on School Day Thursday reaching 1,000 career points. It seemed only right to set another milestone. A layup to tie the contest at 66-66 with just over two minutes left in overtime marked 1,000 points at Syracuse University for Woolley. But the game wasn’t over just yet. After going 1 for 2 at the free throw line, Syracuse’s Sophie Burrows gave Southern Methodist the opportunity to go ahead in the contest with any shot. Certainly, SMU’s Nya Robertson didn’t waste that opportunity with an incredible lefty layup putting her squad ahead 70-69 with 22 seconds left. Syracuse then on their final offensive possession caught almost five rebounds before Izabel Varejao hit a jump shot near the free throw line. The center put SU ahead by one with 16 seconds to play.
So, who else to win the game but one of the best scorers in the conference. A game winning jump shot for SMU’s Nya Robertson (who finished with 28 points) sealed the deal for a 72-71 Southern Methodist victory over Syracuse in the dome. SU now drop to 6-9 on the season and are still winless in ACC play. The Orange return to action at home against Miami on Sunday. Tipoff is at 6.
