Syracuse women’s basketball pulls away from South Dakota State in NCAA Tournament opener

Austin, Texas — Emily Engstler scored 18 points to lead five Syracuse players in double figures as No. 8 seed SU topped No. 9 South Dakota State University 72-55 in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in Austin, Texas.

Engstler also snagged 12 rebounds, grabbed six steals and blocked four shots in a dominant all-around effort.

Kiara Lewis scored 14 for SU, followed by 13 for Digna Strautmane, 12 for Kamilla Cardoso and 11 for Tiana Mangakahia.

Cardoso blocked six shots, and Syracuse had 14 as a team, two shy of the NCAA tournament record set by Baylor in 2010.

Paiton Burckhard paced SDSU with 17 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Syracuse’s win avenged a loss to the Jackrabbits in the 2019 NCAA tournament in the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse (15-8) advances to take on the winner of Sunday night’s game between top-seeded Connecticut and No. 16 High Point in the second round.

The Orange closed on a 22-7 run and clamped down on defense to keep SDSU off the board for five-and-a-half minutes in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.

The Jackrabbits pulled within 56-52 with 7:01 left in the fourth before SU stepped on the gas. Engstler dropped in a foul shot, and Cardoso worked in a bucket down low to make the lead 59-52.

Lewis then pilfered a steal to set up a basket by Mangakahia to change the scoreboard to 61-52 with 5:42 remaining. Strautmane pushed the difference to 11 on a layup with 4:49 left, and Engstler got a friendly bounce on a 3-pointer to continue the run and lock down the game.

SU tried to take control of the game in the third by pushing its lead to 42-33. But Burckhard sizzled for the Jackrabbits in the quarter, piling up 11 points. A layup by Haley Greer with 17 seconds left in the third cut the Orange’s edge to 50-48 heading into the fourth.

The Orange finished the first half on a 12-3 run to grab a 37-31 edge at the half. Strautmane canned a 3-pointer with 2:48 left to nudge the Orange ahead 30-28, and Nelson responded with a foul shot for the Jackrabbits.

Engstler then nailed a 3, and Lewis followed with a bucket of her own to make it 35-29 with 1:41 remaning. Engstler pushed SU up by eight on a layup with 23 ticks left, and Tori Nelson dropped in two foul shots with two seconds left to set the six-point margin after 20 minutes.

The Orange built a 21-17 lead after the first quarter after the Jackrabbits missed their first five shots. But SDSU found the range early in the second, and a 3-pointer by Nelson gave the Jackrabbits their first lead, 24-23, with 7:12 left in the half.

Syracuse forced 12 SDSU turnovers in the first half and swatted away nine shots.

Contact Lindsay Kramer anytime: Email | Twitter

ORANGE BASKETBALL FANS

Face masks | Gear and apparel | Stream games on fuboTV, Sling, Hulu + Live TV

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.