WBB NCAA Tournament SU 68 vs S. Carolina 97 3/22/15 7:07 ESPN2 | Syracusefan.com

WBB NCAA Tournament SU 68 vs S. Carolina 97 3/22/15 7:07 ESPN2

Brian Higgins@BrianHigginsSU · 10h 10 hours ago
.@CuseWBB Alexis Peterson on facing #1 seed South Carolina Sunday, "This is what we live for. This is what the tournament is about."


Brian Higgins@BrianHigginsSU · 10h10 hours ago
.@CoachQatSU on playing in front of huge crowd Sunday, "What a great opportunity. You have a chance to play a top 5 team."
 
Brian Higgins ‏@BrianHigginsSU 4m4 minutes ago
Hall of Famer and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley at today's press conference https://instagram.com/p/0fq8D8IamC/


Dawn Staley on @CuseWBB, "For the most part what they did against us in the Bahamas worked for them."

Dawn Staley on late 10 point comeback vs. @CuseWBB in November, "I thought that was out first test of being resilient. "

 
David Cloninger @DCTheState · 13m 13 minutes ago
T Mitchell on Cuse: "That was the 1st team that played in that sagging zone. I think we have a better way of handling it this time around."

Mitchell talking about Briana Day's offensive rebounding capability. "She's their garbageman. We have to put a body on her and box her out."

Mitchell's bad game on Friday: "I think my teammates have enough confidence in me. I’ll bounce back."

Dawn Staley on CLA: "I’m quite sure (Cuse has) played Notre Dame and the likes. For us, it’s like putting on an old shoe."

Staley knows Cuse will come at USC with the zone. "What we did (then) was knock down open shots." Roy, Wilson, Dozier hit from outside.

Staley on Cuse in November: "I thought that was our first test at being resilient."

Staley: "I was fairly calm in the Bahamas. When we’re able to use our depth, it pays off for us."

Staley doesn't anticipate any extra emotions from her seniors playing their last game at CLA. "They have made an incredible impact."
 
CAo12pEW8AIQCOe.jpg:large

 
Brian Higgins ‏@BrianHigginsSU 32m32 minutes ago
.@CoachQatSU On South Carolina being undefeated at home, "A lot of teams look for easy, we don't look for easy."

@CoachQatSU, "I changed my mind, we're going to have the same game plan. We're going to do the same thing we did in the Bahamas. "

.@CoachQatSU on packed in zone vs. Gamecocks, "I think we have the only game plan in place if you can't match up with their size."
 
Syracuse Goes For Redemption Against Top Seeded South Carolina in Round of 32
By Sean Farrell@seanfarrell92 on Mar 22, 2015, 9:00a +

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The Syracuse women's basketball team faces South Carolina on Friday against a team who beat the Orange back in November.


Brianna Butler doesn't remember the first 30-plus minutes of the game as much as the last few.

That's when the Orange blew a ten-point lead to then top-ranked South Carolina and gave away a chance at the program's first win over the No. 1 team in the country. The Orange couldn't make a field goal in the last six minutes and 43 seconds of the game and lost, 67-63, in the championship of the Junkanoo Jam back in late November.

Four months later, it's a loss that still stings Syracuse.

"That’s definitely something that kind of dwelled on us throughout the season," Butler said.

When the bracket was released, Syracuse couldn't help but look past the opening round a little bit and salivate at a possible Round of 32 matchup against South Carolina. By beating Nebraska, the Orange earned that rematch and a chance at revenge for the win that got away.

"I think that’s a redemption thing," sophomore center Briana Day said. "We lost to them by only four."

The Orange looks to reach its first ever Sweet Sixteen, but faces a big challenge by going up against South Carolina in Columbia on Sunday night. If Syracuse is able to pull off the upset, it will be the first time all season that the Gamecocks lose a game at home. It's a daunting challenge that has overwhelmed opponents this year, but excites Quentin Hillsman. He said his team has grown from its neutral site loss to South Carolina and other close games against tough competition.

"That’s why you do this," Hillsman said. "You coach to compete. If you don’t have that in you, then you shouldn’t be in this sport."

The Gamecocks come in having won nine of their last ten games and having only lost twice all season.

One loss came against UConn, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The other was to Kentucky, an SEC giant who could be on its way to another deep March run.

But unlike some of the sport's goliaths like Notre Dame and the Huskies who have blown out Syracuse in recent meetings, the Gamecocks are a team that the Orange has proven it can match up well with.

"There’s definitely a comfort level when you’ve already played someone and you know what they can bring to the table and what we can bring to the table against them," Butler said.

In round one against USC, the Orange played like it was the heavyweight by winning the rebounding battles, keeping the Gamecocks out of the paint and shutting down freshman phenomA'ja Wilson in the first half. That effort wasn't rewarded because Syracuse allowed an 18-4 run at the end of the game.

Hillsman has spent the last few days with his team by analyzing what went wrong at the end of that loss and trying to prevent those mistakes, should Syracuse find itself in another close game.

"We didn’t watch the first 38 minutes,"Hillsman said. "We watched the last two minutes when we let the game get away."

Syracuse's leading scorer, Alexis Peterson, had just nine points in that game. It was one of only five times all season when she failed to reach double figure scoring totals. With 31 seconds left in the game, she committed an untimely turnover when the Orange had a chance to get her team back within one possession.

"It was a tough game when we played South Carolina the first time," Peterson said. "But we were the better team for 38 minutes. We had a mental lapse in the last two minutes."

This time, South Carolina has the advantage of playing in front of its home crowd, which averages the highest attendance in the country.

Winning in Colonial Life Arena is, perhaps, Syracuse's toughest test all season.

But it's one that Peterson said her team is ready for.

"I think we’ve been prepared all season," Peterson said. "We haven’t had an easy schedule. We faced a lot of adversity in the season with injuries and just playing the best teams in the country so this is what we live for."

She added, "This is what the tournament is about."
 
SU Women's Hoops‏@CuseWBB 3m3 minutes ago
Peterson from deep! Syracuse scores the first bucket of the game.

Five straight points from South Carolina. Syracuse comes back with a Peterson jumper. All tied 5-5

Josh Hyber‏@JoshHyber 11s11 seconds ago
Briana Day just picked up her second foul but stays in. Syracuse trails 8-5 four minutes in.

Bria Day comes in for Briana Day.
 
SU Women's Hoops‏@CuseWBB 1m1 minute ago
Peterson knocks down two free throws and Syracuse trails, 11-7.

Steal by Ford and Butler for two. Syracuse down 14-9 at South Carolina

Josh Hyber‏@JoshHyber 56s57 seconds ago
USC's Asia Dozier is 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. SU leaving her wide open. 14-7, South Carolina.

Fondren hits a jumper. Syracuse trails South Carolina, 20-11

South Carolina is *4-of-6* from beyond the arc, and the Gamecocks lead 20-11. Bria Day just picked up her second foul. Both Day's have two.

Butler is one of three members of the Orange to have at least two points thus far at South Carolina.
 
Josh Hyber‏@JoshHyber 52s52 seconds ago
Center Amber Witherspoon, who came in for Bria Day, just picked up her first foul.

USC knocks down one FT and now leads Syracuse, 25-14.

Butler with another three! SU trails, 27-17

Brian Higgins‏@BrianHigginsSU 10s11 seconds ago
Orange maintaining contact, but South Carolina shooting 63%. @CuseWBB trails 29-17, 7:58 in half.
 
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