Five Reach Double-Digits in Orange's 98-55 Win Over Towson

Sunday, December 2

Syracuse, N.Y.

2 PM

Syracuse University

Towson

Five Reach Double-Digits in Orange's 98-55 Win Over Towson

12/2/2018 4:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Led by Digna Strautmane's season-high 19 points, five Orange players reached double-digit scoring in a 98-55 victory over Towson, Sunday afternoon. The 12^th-ranked Syracuse University women's basketball team picked up its largest margin of victory of the 2018-19 campaign.

Strautmane dominated the first quarter with 10 of her 19 points coming in the opening nine minutes. In just 19 minutes, she finished the day shooting 6-of-8 with five rebounds. For the second time this season, Syracuse picked up a pair of double-doubles this time coming from senior Miranda Drummond and junior Tiana Mangakahia. Drummond paired 17 points with a season-high 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Mangakahia, who has scored double-digits in every game this season, had 13 points and 12 assists. She has notched a double-double in three of the last four games.

Junior Gabrielle Cooper rounded out the group of five with 15 points on four three-pointers. Emily Engstler and Isis Young just missed double-digits with seven points each.

"I thought that today from start to finish we did a good job of being aggressive and being physical, playing hard," head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "At the end of the day, we got a lot of balance. I thought our players played really well. I thought that we just really had a different kind of energy in this game – we came in with some urgency."

Led by Mangakahia's 12, Syracuse dished out a season-high 24 assists as a team tying the team's most since a win over Central Connecticut on Dec. 4, 2016 when the Orange had 25. Sunday's victory also marked the most points for the Orange in a game since scoring 109 against Niagara on Dec. 10, 2016.

Towson opened the game with a three-pointer for a 3-2 lead, before back-to-back baskets by Drummond helped Syracuse fire off 12 straight points for a 14-3 lead. After a four-minute scoring drought from the Tigers, Kionna Jeter knocked in a three to kick off a 9-2 Towson run that would nearly erase Syracuse's lead. Strautmane and Cooper found the answer with back-to-back baskets for a six point lead, 23-17, at the end of the first quarter.

Strautmane kept her hot hand going adding another five points in the second quarter, including the opening three-pointer. The Orange didn't let up shooting 43.8 percent (7-of-16) in the second quarter and outscoring Towson 29-12. Syracuse ended the half on an 8-0 run for a 52-29 lead.

A three-pointer by Drummond at 6:13 in the third quarter extended Syracuse to a 29-point lead, their largest of the time, before Towson clicked on the defensive end. The Tigers held Syracuse to 1-of-5 and snatched two steals over the course of nearly three minutes. Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi and Engstler connected for back-to-back layups sparking an 14-3 run for the Orange that ended with a three from Cooper at the buzzer giving 'Cuse a 77-41 lead.

Syracuse could not be stopped in the fourth quarter shooting 9-of-12 (75 percent). Djaldi-Tabdi sunk her final basket of the game with 1:42 left for the Orange's largest lead of the night, 98-53.

The Orange remain at home for its second game in a three-game home stretch Wednesday, Dec. 5. Syracuse welcomes Maryland Eastern Shore to the Dome for a 7 p.m. tip-off on ACCN Extra.