SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse defense anchored the Orange once again by holding Delaware State to 25.0 percent shooting from the floor in a 56-37 victory at the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore guard Erica Morrow led the Orange in scoring for the fifth time this season, recording 15 points and matched a career-high with nine total rebounds. Senior guard Chandrea Jones and junior forward Juanita Ward each represented 10 Syracuse points while Ward pulled down nine boards. Ward converted a game-high 8-of-11 from the line. Junior forward Vionca Murray accounted for nine points and two rebounds in the 19-point triumph. Both sophomore guard Tasha Harris and junior forward Nicole Michael scored four points while Harris tied a game-high by handing out five assists.
Freshman guard Tyler Ash collected a career-high defensive four rebounds, five in all, and added two points whereas sophomore guard Marisa Gobuty chipped in on the defensive effort and posted a career-best with three steals in 14 minutes of play.
Syracuse's post play proved to be the key for the Orange win. SU outscored the Hornets 26-8 in the paint as well as 13-2 in second chance opportunities. The physical play exuded by the Orange throughout the game earned Syracuse 26 trips to the free-throw line compared to DSU's 12. Syracuse's defensive pressure forced the second lowest opponent field goal rate this season. On November 16, the Orange curbed Maryland Eastern Shore's offense to an 18.5 attacking rate.
Both teams forced defensive turnovers in the first exchanges of the contest, but it was DSU's Keyhana Wakefield that knocked down the first three points of the game. SU answered as Harris peeled down the court for the open layup, followed by two more Orange jumpers from Michael and Morrow for the 6-4 advantage in the first four minutes of the game.
The Orange poured it on as Murray sparked a 15-4 run in favor of Syracuse, opening up the big spurt with a three-point play. Syracuse spread the rock around, getting points from six different players on the floor. Ash capped off the run at 10:39, snaring the rebound from Michael's backend free-throw attempt and dumping it in for the 21-8 lead. After an aggressive lay-up from Murray, Morrow found her niche from the baseline and buried SU's first trifecta of the game for the 15-point margin, 27-12, with under seven minutes to play in the first half.
Syracuse added five more points, including a clutch runner and the foul shot from Ward, to go into the locker room with a controlling 18-point lead, 32-14.
The Orange defense held Delaware State to only four field goals from the field in the first 20 minutes while Syracuse's offense converted a 55.0 clip (11-of-20). SU hammered the Hornets down low in the first half, scoring 14 points in the paint to Delaware State's two.
The tempo accelerated in the first four minutes of the second session. The Hornets surprised Syracuse with a 9-4 stretch, cutting into the Orange's lead, 36-23. Selena Galloway accounted for five points to lead DSU in the run.
Morrow and Jones dialed up the transition game to maintain SU's stronghold as the Orange built upon its lead, 41-27, with 11:00 minutes remaining. In the next three minutes, Jones and Morrow teamed up for seven more points. Jones attacked on the fast break while Morrow coupled a trey and field goal for the 18-point lead, 48-30.
The Orange fought hard in the offensive zone, finding its way to the free throw line on a good number of its possessions with seven minutes to play. Syracuse hit 6-of-8 tries from the charity stripe to smother the Hornets' efforts and eventually secure its third straight non-conference victory, 56-37.
Syracuse takes an eight-day hiatus before returning to the Carrier Dome to host Niagara on Sunday, December 14 at 1 pm. Tickets for next weekend's game can be purchased
here.