Orange Knock Off No. 11/12 Florida State

Sunday, January 7

Syracuse, N.Y.

1:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

14-3, 2-2

Florida State

14-2, 2-1

Florida State

Syracuse

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

1/7/2018 4:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Cuse TV: Highlights Cuse TV: Hillsman Postgame Cuse TV: Players Postgame Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Orange defeated their first top-15 opponent since 2016 with a 76-69 win over No. 11/12 Florida State on Sunday afternoon in the Carrier Dome. Miranda Drummond led all scorers with a career-high 38 points to help Syracuse improve to 14-3 overall and 2-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Drummond's performance and Tiana Mangakahia's 44 points against Georgia Tech on Thursday, marks the first time the 'Cuse has had back-to-back 30-point performances since Alexis Peterson posted 34-point and 31-point games on Dec. 21 and Dec. 29, 2016, respectively.

HOW IT WAS DECIDED
Drummond hit a 3-pointer at 5:30 to give the Orange a 14-8 lead, the largest lead at that point by either team. Syracuse compiled a 15-2 run over the next three minutes to lead 21-8 but FSU finished the quarter on an 8-2 run for a 23-16 'Cuse lead at the end of the frame. Drummond paced the Orange with 10 points while the team combined to shoot 44.4 percent from the field (8-for-18) in the first ten minutes.

Florida State began the second quarter on an 8-2 run but a 3-pointer by Gabrielle Cooper at 5:51 once again put the Orange ahead by five, 28-23. The Seminoles took their first lead since the opening minutes on a 3-pointer by Nausia Woolfork with 1:26 to play in the first half but a buzzer-beating trey by Drummond put 'Cuse ahead 34-33 at the break. Drummond led all scorers with 18 points in the first 20 minutes of action and FSU's Imani Wright was the only other player to score double figures with 10 points.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Digna Strautmane and Cooper put Syracuse ahead 40-35 to open the third quarter but FSU answered with an 8-0 run to lead 43-40 with 6:14 on the clock. A trey by Drummond at 5:10 evened the score at 43-all when Mangakahia found her wide open in the corner to dish her eighth assist of the game. Florida State pulled ahead 49-45 but another 3-point basket by Drummond, her fifth, made it a one-possession game with the Seminoles in front 49-48. A steal followed by a fast-break jumper by Mangakahia put 'Cuse ahead, 50-49, for the first time since halftime.

Jasmine Nwajei started the final quarter with a jumper to once again give Syracuse a one-point lead but FSU's Wright replied with a jumper of her own. Isis Young drained a 3-pointer for a 55-53 'Cuse lead at 9:04. Drummond's layup at the 5:18 mark gave the Orange a 60-56 lead, its largest since the first half. Two minutes later Drummond checked in and hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers for a 10-point Syracuse lead, 69-60, with under 1:50 remaining.

OF NOTE
Drummond's 38-point performance marked career-highs in points, field goals made (14), and 3-pointers made (8). In the fourth quarter, she subbed in and hit back-to-back-to-back treys to give 'Cuse a 69-60 lead with under two minutes left in regulation.

The Orange's win over No. 11/12 Florida State is the first win over a top-15 opponent since Syracuse knocked off No. 2/3 South Carolina in the 2016 national tournament.

TWEET OF THE GAME

MAKE. IT. RAIN.

Career-high 35 points ?
Career-high 7 threes ?
Drummond coming in clutch ?

66-57 Orange, 2:24 Q4 pic.twitter.com/fniGUMWtxW
— 'Cuse Women's Hoops (@CuseWBB) January 7, 2018

Q'S THOUGHTS
"Obviously this was the signature win we've been looking for this year," said head coach Quentin Hillsman. "I am really proud of our players for just fighting hard through this game. We knew this would be a tough, physical game in the paint and we did a really good job of bouncing off that number of points in the paint. Just overall it was a real gutsy game by our kids and they played real tough."

UP NEXT
The Orange hit the road to face NC State on Sunday, Jan. 14, at Reynolds Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. and the game can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

For the latest news on the Syracuse women's basketball program, follow /SyracuseWBB on Facebook, @CuseWBB on Instagram, and @CuseWBB on Twitter.