Syracuse Crushes Princeton in Mexico
By AJ Fabbri
CitrusTV Women’s Basketball Reporter
Cancun, Mexico – No. 14 Syracuse’s (5-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) blew out Princeton (1-5, 0-0 Ivy) 92-61 this Friday afternoon in Cancun, Mexico. Ten Orange players scored, four in double-digits, en route to the easy victory over the preseason Ivy League favorite.
Princeton came out of the gates shooting, knocking down four three pointers in the first quarter. But in a run-and-gun game, it was only a matter until the Orange accelerate. SU junior Gabrielle Cooper flashed her ability from distance early, knocking down three deep balls in the first frame on the way to a 30-point quarter for the Orange.
The drubbing continued throughout, as SU extended the margin after every quarter. SU’s half-court offense struggled in its last outing against Kansas State, but the Orange pushed the pace on Friday in order to avoid any stagnation. SU tallied 21 points in transition off of long rebounds and 12 Princeton turnovers.
On the day after Thanksgiving, Cooper knocked down seven threes, the most by an SU player since Cooper herself knocked down eight last February against North Carolina. She finished with 20 points, a season high.
Tiana Mangakahia totaled 14 points and 11 assists for her first double-double of the year. Amaya Finklea poured in 12 points and eight boards, while Emily Engstler dropped 9 and 11.
The Orange was lights out from the field, shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 51.7 percent from distance.
As a team, Syracuse knocked down 15 three pointers, tied for the most in program history.
The blowout victory allowed Hillsman to limit the minutes his main rotation players logged, which will pay dividends in SU’s next matchup. The Orange will face its third ranked opponent of the non-conference scheduled when it takes on No. 16 DePaul (3-1, 0-0 Big East) in the Cancun Challenge finale tomorrow at 1:30 pm.
