Lewis Leads Orange in Season-Opening Win Against Ohio

Tuesday, November 5

Syracuse, N.Y.

8 pm

Syracuse University

Ohio

Lewis Leads Orange in Season-Opening Win Against Ohio

11/5/2019 11:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Redshirt junior guard Kiara Lewis scored a team-high 16 points in her first Syracuse career start, leading the Orange to a season-opening 66-54 victory against Ohio in the Dome. Lewis was just shy of a triple-double, recording 16 points, seven assists and eight rebounds. Junior center Amaya Finklea-Guity and senior guard Gabrielle Cooper were both in the race for double-doubles, with Finklea-Guity recording 10 rebounds and nine points, and Cooper grabbing nine boards and 10 points.

"It's what I expected," said 14th-year Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman, who notched his 289th career victory. "We had a tough first game on purpose. We wanted a team to come here that was well-coached, that would play with a lot of energy, and play hard. And they did that. We really had to battle. It all started in the second quarter when all the kids were playing hard."

Syracuse dominated in the rebounding line on the box score, outpacing Ohio 57-32. Syracuse worked hard on the offensive end, grabbing 23 rebounds.

"The rebound margin was important," Hillsman said. "We had 23 offensive rebounds. For us, that is what the game is about – making tough plays, being aggressive, and being physical. I give our kids a lot of credit for shooting 47 percent in the second quarter, it really turned the game around. They answered the challenge."

How it happened
Syracuse was slow out of the gate as Ohio opened a 16 point lead, 21-5, in the first seven minutes of play. The Orange responded with a 26-9 run in the next 11 minutes to take a 31-30 lead into the locker room at halftime. Freshman guard Taleah Washington closed the scoring run with a gutsy three-point field goal at the buzzer to give the Orange their first lead of the game.

Syracuse began to edge out the Bobcats as the third period went on, out scoring Ohio 20-16 in the third stanza. The Orange used a six-minute 14-0 run to break open the game at the end of the third quarter that continued into the fourth, Cooper igniting the run after drilling a three pointer with 31 seconds left.

The final quarter was all Syracuse as the Orange asserted their dominance and established a 16-point lead before Ohio finally slotted in a free throw with 4:03 left in the game. The Bobcats would go on to put up another free throw and three layups, but it was too-little too-late as 'Cuse would go on to comfortably close out the game and get its first win of the season.

Of Note

The Orange starting lineup included three returning starters in Cooper, Finklea-Guity, and junior forward Digna Strautmane. Lewis and sophomore Emily Engstler rounded out the 'Cuse starting five.

Cooper is the veteran of the group having started all 98 games in her Syracuse career. Cooper scored 10 points and had nine rebounds, while Washington scored 10 points and had four rebounds in 18 minutes in her Syracuse debut. Juniors Amaya Finklea-Guity and Digna Strautmane each contributed nine points.

Finklea-Guity also had 10 rebounds.
Hillsman used an 11-person rotation, including newcomers Washington, Elemy Colomé, Whisper Fisher, Alisha Lewis and Brooke Alexander.

Up Next
Syracuse will host Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. in the Dome. Tickets for the game are $10. Fans who cannot attend the game can watch it on ACC Network Extra.

Syracuse season tickets start at $75 and are available for sale by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) or at The Box Office at the Ensley Athletic Center, which will operate extended hours on Mondays, from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm, and will be open Tuesday through Friday, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, for purchasing tickets to all Dome events. Limited Premium Courtside seats are still available and can be purchased by contacting a sales representative at 1-888-DOME-TIX.

To stay updated on the Syracuse Orange women's basketball team, follow @CuseWBB on Twitter and Instagram.