Syracuse Pulls Away from Penn State After Early Deficit

Syracuse Women's Basketball start 3-0 on the season after defeating Penn State

The women in Orange got off to a rocky start vs the Penn State Nittany Lions Sunday afternoon. The shooting was off all night, as the team was 3-12 from the field to start the game, and 0-6 from distance. Amaya Finklea-Guity brought immediate energy off the bench, scoring the first bucket for Syracuse. She was also active on the glass, grabbing eight rebounds in just 18 minutes of action. 

However, the shooting woes continued for Syracuse as the Nittany Lions started to find their groove. Penn State guard Tavo Sable knocked down her first three triples while Syracuse shot just 5-29 from beyond the three-point arc. 

Despite the rough shooting, Syracuse found itself up by one at the half, thanks to Coach Hillsman's full-court press halfway through the second quarter. The ladies fed off that energy all game. Syracuse forced 14 turnovers in the first half alone, and 24 for the game. 

Kiara Lewis was instrumental in forcing turnovers as she came away with a game-high 5 steals. Lewis also did her part on the offensive end, finishing the game with 26 points, leading all scorers. 

Digna Strautamane was vital to Syracuse's 82-72 victory over the Nittany Lions. She did a little bit of everything, scoring 14 points on 50% shooting from the field, along with eight rebounds, three steals, and four blocks. 

Tiana Managkahia's first game back in the Carrier Dome was subpar by her standards. She still played a well-rounded game, scoring 14 points on 4-12 shooting, along with eight assists and six rebounds. Mangakahia played like a true floor general, finding teammates for open looks. She could have easily finished the game with double-digit assists. Mangakahia did turn the ball over at an alarming rate. She had 9 total turnovers while playing a game-high 38 minutes. 

Note* Emily Engstler made her season debut for Syracuse vs Penn State as she came off the bench to start the second half. Engstler brought down eight rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Expect to see a lot more of Englster as she is one of the four returning starters from last year's squad.