Cooper Pours in 20 Points as No. 14 Syracuse Stifles Princeton

Friday, November 23

Cancun, Mexico

1:30 pm

Syracuse University

Princeton

Cooper Pours in 20 Points as No. 14 Syracuse Stifles Princeton

11/23/2018 4:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Cancun, Mexico – Fifteen three-pointers, four players in double figures and 34 points off the bench. It was an overall team win for the 14^th-ranked Syracuse women's basketball team on Friday afternoon in the Orange's second game at the Cancun Challenge. 'Cuse topped Princeton (1-5), 92-61, to improve to 5-1 on the season.

Princeton jumped out to a 5-0 lead but a pair of three-pointers by Miranda Drummond and Gabrielle Cooper gave the Orange their first lead of the game, 8-7, with 8:59 on the clock. A free throw by Carlie Littlefiled evened the game at eight points apiece but Syracuse's Kadiatou Sissoko hit a layup to give the Orange the lead back at the 6:51 mark. Syracuse led by six but back-to-back treys by the Tigers cut the game to a one-point differential with 4:14 to play. The Orange closed the quarter on a 12-0 run to lead 30-17 at the first break.

Syracuse extended its lead to as many as 19 in the second frame. The Orange bench added 12 points and 'Cuse took a 49-34 lead into halftime after Littlefield hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for Princeton. The Orange shot an impressive 60 percent from the field in the first half including 53.8 percent from behind the arc. Cooper led Syracuse with nine points in the first half, all from downtown.

Drummond put the Orange ahead by 17, 53-39, with a shot from way downtown with 7:24 to play in the third. It was the first of six treys by Syracuse in the quarter – a game high. 'Cuse spread its lead to 20 when Digna Strautmane hit her first three-pointer of the game at 5:13. The Orange took their biggest lead of the game thus far into the fourth quarter leading by 29 points, 82-53. Syracuse outscored the Tigers 33-19 in the frame and shot 70.6 percent from the field, its best single quarter field goal percentage of the season.

Both teams had their lowest scoring frame of the game in the fourth. The Orange edged Princeton 10-8 to hold on to a 31-point win. Thirty-four of Syracuse's points in the win came from the Orange bench.

Cooper had a season-high 20 points, draining six three-pointers in 25 minutes of action. Tiana Mangakahia had her first double double of the season with 14 points and 11 assists and no turnovers. Freshman Emily Engstler led the team with 11 rebounds and was one point shy of her first-career double double.

The Orange had their largest margin of victory, 31 points, while holding Princeton to 61 points and 36.5 percent from the field. The Tigers had three players score in double figures and were led by Gabrielle Rush with 15 points.

Syracuse has a quick turnaround to prepare for their third top-25 opponent of the season on Saturday. The No. 14 Orange and No. 16 DePaul Blue Demons square off at 1:30 p.m. in the final game of the Cancun Challenge. DePaul is 3-1 on the season and 2-0 at the Cancun Challenge with wins over Kansas State and Princeton, as well.