Syracuse University
8-3,5-3ACC
Pittsburgh
4-5,2-4ACC
Djaldi-Tabdi Scores 17 in Win Over Pitt
1/28/2021 9:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
An offensive explosion in the final five minutes allowed Syracuse to cruise to a 80-57 victory against Pittsburgh inside the Carrier Dome on Thursday night. The Panthers (4-5, 2-4 ACC) erased an 18-point first half deficit to cut it to two, 53-51, with under eight minutes to play but Syracuse went on a 20-4 run to regain a comfortable lead down the stretch. Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi's season-high 17 points, and career-best three 3-pointers, carried Syracuse back into the win column. With the win, the Orange snap a two-game slide and improve to 8-3 overall and 5-3 in the ACC.Â
Syracuse jumped out to an early 8-0 lead and never looked back in the opening frame. The Orange shot 58.8 percent (10-for-17) in the first quarter and led by 11, 26-15. Seven different Orange scored in the first 10 minutes of play. Syracuse outscored Pitt 15-11 in the second frame to lead 41-25 at halftime.Â
Pitt's Dayshanette Harris had a trio of buckets that helped the Panthers cut into the Syracuse lead, 41-32. Djaldi-Tabdi answered with a pair of threes of her own but Pittsburgh would storm back with an 8-0 run into the final frame to pull within two, 53-51, just two minutes into the fourth.Â
It was all Orange in the final eight minutes, outscoring the opposition 27-6 run to secure the 23-point win. Five players scored in double figures for Syracuse, including Emily Engstler who tallied her fifth double double of the season with 12 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals. Freshman Kamilla Cardoso finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, and Priscilla Williams and Kiara Lewis added 11 and 12 points, respectively.Â
The Orange shot 46%, hitting 12-of-29 from downtown. Defensively, Syracuse forced 15 turnovers for 17 points and blocked seven Panther shots.Â
Of Note:
- Emily Engstler notched the 100th block of her career, tying Bria Day for the tenth-most blocks in program history
- Engstler's 20th game with 10+ rebounds and she tied her season-high in rebounds (13)
- Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi had a career-best three 3-pointers
- Digna Strautmane's five assists ties her career high
- Taleah Washington tied a career-high six points
The Orange are back in action on Sunday morning, hosting Notre Dame inside the Dome. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. on the ACC Network.
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