Syracuse women’s basketball takes step back, loses to Miami 77-62

The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team just didn’t have it when they faced off against the Miami Hurricanes.

After coming off two heart racing wins in the Carrier Dome, the Orange played a sloppy, turnover ridden game that led to a Miami win.

Right from the get-go, Miami jumped out to a 10-2 lead, and the sluggish start that plagued the Cuse earlier in the season seemed to be doing the same in the Sunshine State. Teiusha Hymam would rally for Syracuse however, as she scored eight points in just over a minute to make it a 18-12 game in favor of the Canes. A Taleah Washington jumper for the Orange made it just a 18-14 game after the first frame. Syracuse, like they’ve done so much this year, seemed to have weather that first storm. Both teams settled in during the second, trading buckets, until a Garbielle Cooper layup just over the 7:00 minute mark tied the game at 23. The Orange would get close to taking the lead, but the Hurricanes would never surrender it. Timely free throws and three point shots by Sydnee Roby and Mykea Gray gave Miami the lead heading into halftime. Syracuse was in it.

Syracuse came out slow in the second, which didn’t particularly bode well with the hot shooting from the Canes. The Orange turned the ball over at will, and consecutive buckets by Kelsey Marshall and Destiny Harden gave quit Syracuse down 9 with 6:51 to go in the quarter. A frustrated Coach Q would see his team fail to score during the next 3 minutes, and Miami took control of the game. Kiki Lewis and Teisha Hyman each had 13 points after three quarters, leading the Orange. Miami would put Syracuse away early in the fourth, using a 12-4 run to go up 70-51. They wouldn’t look back, and would win easily 77-62, but it never felt that close. Syracuse would finish with 20 turnovers, going 24-60 from the field.

The Hurricanes had two huge performers today in Mykea Gray and Kelsey Marshall, scoring 20 and 19, respectively. Gray would score all of her points from three point range, going 5-9 on the day. Kiara Lewis finished with 15 points, but turned the ball over 9 times. Emily Engstler was in double figures again putting up 11 points and 5 boards. Teisha Hyman was 1 point shy of her career points marked as she tallied 15 points in 25 minutes.

Syracuse is back in the dome on January 16 when they will face off against the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network.