2020–21 Syracuse Orange women's basketball team

2020–21 Syracuse Orange women's basketball
2020–21 Syracuse Orange women's basketball
NCAA tournament, second round
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	15–9 (9–7 ACC)
Head coach	Quentin Hillsman (15th season);
Assistant coaches	Vonn Read; John Marcum; Cedric Solice;
Home arena	Carrier Dome
	Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 ACC women's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 8 Louisville	14	–	2	.875	26	–	4	.867
No. 3 NC State†	12	–	2	.857	22	–	3	.880
Georgia Tech	12	–	6	.667	17	–	9	.654
Syracuse	9	–	7	.563	15	–	9	.625
Florida State	9	–	7	.563	10	–	9	.526
Notre Dame	8	–	7	.533	10	–	10	.500
Virginia Tech	8	–	8	.500	15	–	10	.600
North Carolina	8	–	9	.471	13	–	11	.542
Miami (FL)	8	–	10	.444	11	–	11	.500
Wake Forest	8	–	10	.444	12	–	13	.480
Clemson	5	–	12	.294	12	–	14	.462
Pittsburgh	3	–	12	.200	5	–	14	.263
Boston College	2	–	11	.154	7	–	12	.368
Duke	0	–	1	.000	3	–	1	.750
Virginia	0	–	2	.000	0	–	5	.000
Duke suspended their season on December 25, 2020 Virginia suspended their season on January 14, 2021

† 2021 ACC tournament winner As of March 30, 2021 Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Syracuse Orange women's basketball team represented Syracuse University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Orange were led by fifteenth year head coach Quentin Hillsman. The Orange were eighth year members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and played their home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.

The Orange finished the season 15–9 and 9–7 in ACC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the fifth seed in the ACC tournament, they defeated to Boston College in the Second Round and Florida State in the Quarterfinals before losing to Louisville in the Semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they were the eight seed in the Riverwalk Regional. In the tournament they defeated nine seed South Dakota State in the First Round before losing to one seed UConn to end their season.

Previous season

For the 2019–20 season, the Orange finished 16–15 overall record and a 9–9 in record ACC play securing an eighth-place finish. As the eighth seed in the ACC tournament, they defeated Virginia in the Second Round before losing to Louisville in Quarterfinals. The NCAA tournament and WNIT were cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.^[1]

Off-season

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Reason for Departure
Elemy Colomé	0	G	5'8"	Graduate Student	Lawrence, MA	Graduated^[2]
Whisper Fisher	2	F	6'2"	Graduate Student	Owings Mills, MD	Graduated^[3]
Alisha Lewis	10	G	5'7"	Freshman	Wallingford, PA	Transferred to UCF^[4]
Gabrielle Cooper	11	G	5'10"	Senior	Lansing, IL	Graduated^[5]
Brooke Alexander	12	G	6'0"	Graduate Student	Frisco, TX	Graduated

Recruiting Class

Source:^[6]

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight
Kamilla Cardoso C	Montes Claros, Brazil	Hamilton Heights Christian Academy	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	N/A
Kamilla Cardoso C	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 98
Priscilla Williams G	Branson, MO	Branson	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	N/A
Priscilla Williams G	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 98
Faith Blackstone G	Harrisburg, PA	Hillside	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	N/A
Faith Blackstone G	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 94
Maud Huijbens F	Hilversum, Netherlands	Hilversum	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	N/A
Maud Huijbens F	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 90
Khamya McNeal G	Milwaukee, WI	Rufus King	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	N/A
Khamya McNeal G	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 90
Laura Salmeron PG	Spain	N/A	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	N/A
Laura Salmeron PG	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 90
Kiara Fisher PG	Elmira, NY	Elmira	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)	N/A
Kiara Fisher PG	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Roster

2020–21 Syracuse Orange women's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Ava Irvin	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Fr	Greater Atlanta Christian School	Atlanta, GA
G	1	Taleah Washington	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)	So	Rock Creek Christian Academy	District Heights, MD
G	2	Priscilla Williams	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Fr	Branson	Branson, MO
F	3	Maeva Djaldi–Tabdi	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	RS Jr	Jean Moulin	Paris, France
G	4	Tiana Mangakahia	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)	GS	Lake Ginninderra	Meadowbrook, QLD, Australia
G	5	Teisha Hyman	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	So	Woodlands	White Plains, NY
G	11	Khamya McNeal	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Fr	Rufus King	Milwaukee, WI
G	12	Faith Blackstone	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Fr	Hillside	Harrisburg, PA
F	13	Maud Huijbens	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	Fr	Hilversum	Hilversum, Netherlands
C	14	Kamilla Cardoso	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	Fr	Hamilton Heights Christian Academy	Montes Claros, Brazil
G	15	Kiara Fisher	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)	Fr	Elmira	Elmira, NY
G	21	Emily Engstler	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Jr	St. Francis Prep	Fresh Meadows, NY
C	22	Amaya Finklea–Guity	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	Sr	Noble & Greenough	Dorchester, MA
G	23	Kiara Lewis	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	RS Sr	Whitney Young	Chicago, IL
G	25	Lauren Fitzmaurice	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	Sr	Liberty Bell	Mazama, WA
F	45	Digna Strautmane	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Sr	Riga 66	Riga, Latvia

Head coach

Quentin Hillsman (St. Mary's (MD))

Assistant coach(es)

Vonn Read (Clark Atlanta)
John Marcum (Oklahoma Baptist)
Cedric Solice (Charleston Southern)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: December 8, 2020

Schedule

Source:^[7]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular Season
November 29, 2020* 2:00 p.m.	No. 23	Stony Brook	W 50–39	1–0	Island Federal Credit Union Arena (0) Stony Brook, NY
December 2, 2020* 6:00 p.m.	No. 22	Lincoln	W 90–39	2–0	Carrier Dome (0) Syracuse, NY
December 6, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ACCN	No. 22	Penn State	W 82–72	3–0	Carrier Dome (0) Syracuse, NY
December 10, 2020 8:00 p.m., ACCN	No. 20	at Miami (FL)	W 69–58	4–0 (1–0)	Watsco Center (0) Coral Gables, FL
December 17, 2020 6:00 p.m., ACCNX	No. 18	at North Carolina	L 68–92	4–1 (1–1)	Carmichael Arena (0) Chapel Hill, NC
December 20, 2020 2:00 p.m., ACCN	No. 18	at Boston College	W 83–70	5–1 (2–1)	Conte Forum (0) Chestnut Hill, MA
December 28, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ACCNN	No. 22	Morgan State	Canceled ^[8]		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
December 31, 2020 2:00 p.m., ACCNX	No. 22	North Carolina	Postponed ^[9]		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
January 7, 2021 6:00 p.m., ACCNX	No. 24	Virginia	Postponed ^[10]		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
January 10, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 24	Notre Dame	Postponed^[11]		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
January 14, 2021 2:00 p.m., ACCNX	No. 24	at Georgia Tech	Postponed^[12]		McCamish Pavilion Atlanta, GA
January 17, 2021 Noon, RSN	No. 24	Miami (FL)	W 99–64	6–1 (3–1)	Carrier Dome (0) Syracuse, NY
January 19, 2021 Noon, ACCN	No. 23	North Carolina	W 88–76	7–1 (4–1)	Carrier Dome (0) Syracuse, NY
January 21, 2021 7:00 p.m., ACCNX	No. 23	at Duke	Canceled ^[13]		Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC
January 21, 2021 9:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 23	at No. 1 Louisville	L 54–67	7–2 (4–2)	KFC Yum! Center (2,643) Louisville, KY
January 24, 2021 Noon, ACCN	No. 23	at Clemson	L 77–86 ^OT	7–3 (4–3)	Littlejohn Coliseum (421) Clemson, SC
January 28, 2021 6:00 p.m., ACCNX		Pittsburgh	W 80–57	8–3 (5–3)	Carrier Dome (0) Syracuse, NY
January 31, 2021 11:00 a.m., ACCN		Notre Dame	W 81–69	9–3 (6–3)	Carrier Dome (0) Syracuse, NY
February 2, 2021 7:00 p.m., ACCNX		at Georgia Tech	L 63–76	9–4 (6–4)	McCamish Pavilion (1,200) Atlanta, GA
February 4, 2021 6:00 p.m., ACCN		Wake Forest	W 85–78	10–4 (7–4)	Carrier Dome (0) Syracuse, NY
February 7, 2021 2:00 p.m., RSN		at Pittsburgh	W 71–67	11–4 (8–4)	Petersen Events Center (500) Pittsburgh, PA
February 11, 2021 8:00 p.m., ACCN		at Florida State	L 52–67	11–5 (8–5)	Donald L. Tucker Center (1,156) Tallahassee, FL
February 14, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN2		No. 3 Louisville	Postponed^[14]		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
February 18, 2021 8:00 p.m., ACCN		at Notre Dame	Postponed^[15]		Purcell Pavilion Notre Dame, IN
February 21, 2021 Noon, RSN		at Virginia Tech	L 68–76	11–6 (8–6)	Cassell Coliseum (250) Blacksburg, VA
February 25, 2021 8:00 p.m., ACCN		Boston College	W 92–75	12–6 (9–6)	Carrier Dome (0) Syracuse, NY
February 28, 2021 Noon, ACCN		No. 2 NC State	L 61–68	12–7 (9–7)	Carrier Dome (0) Syracuse, NY
ACC Women's Tournament
March 4, 2021 2:30 p.m., RSN	(5)	vs. (13) Boston College Second Round	W 67–61	13–7	Greensboro Coliseum (609) Greensboro, NC
March 5, 2021 2:30 p.m., RSN	(5)	vs. (4) Florida State Quarterfinals	W 68–67	14–7	Greensboro Coliseum (592) Greensboro, NC
March 6, 2021 Noon, ACCN	(5)	vs. (1) No. 5 Louisville Semifinals	L 59–72	14–8	Greensboro Coliseum (1,122) Greensboro, NC
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2021 5:30 p.m., ESPN2	(8 R)	vs. (9 R) South Dakota State First Round	W 72–55	15–8	Frank Erwin Center Austin, TX
March 23, 2021 9:00 p.m., ESPN2	(8 R)	vs. (1 R) No. 1 UConn First Round	L 47–83	15–9	Alamodome San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. R=Riverwalk. All times are in Eastern.

Rankings

Regular Season Polls
Poll	Pre- Season	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6	Week 7	Week 8	Week 9	Week 10	Week 11	Week 12	Week 13	Week 14	Week 15	Week 16	Week 17	Week 18	Week 19	Final
AP	23	22	20	18	22	22	24	24	23	RV	RV	RV								N/A
Coaches	21	18	16	20т	20	20	21	20	RV	RV	RV

**Legend**
		Increase in ranking
		Decrease in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
(RV)		Received Votes

The Coaches Poll releases a final poll after the NCAA tournament, but the AP Poll does not release a poll at this time.

References

^ "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships". Archived from the original on March 12, 2020.
^ Emerman, Danny (November 4, 2019). "GROWING UP: At Syracuse, graduate transfer Elemy Colome has a final chance to prove her maturity". The Daily Orange. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
^ Herman, Jason (July 9, 2020). "Pro Orange: Whisper Fisher Signs with Clube Galitos Aveiro". SU Athletics. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
^ "UCF Adds Syracuse Transfer Alisha Lewis". UCF Athletics (Press release). June 11, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
^ "Pro Orange: Gabrielle Cooper Makes Professional Debut". SU Athletics. January 27, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
^ "Syracuse Orange". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
^ "2020-21 Women's Basketball Schedule". cuse.com. Syracuse University. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
^ "Women's Basketball Game vs. Morgan State Canceled". cuse.com. Syracuse University Athletics. December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
^ "ACC Women's Basketball Announces Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
^ "Women's Basketball Game vs. Virginia Postponed". cuse.com. Syracuse Athletics. January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
^ "ACC Women's Basketball Announces Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
^ "ACC Women's Basketball Announces Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
^ "Duke Blue Devils end women's basketball season amid coronavirus concerns". espn.com. ESPN. December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
^ "ACC Announces Women's Basketball Postponements". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
^ "ACC Women's Basketball Announces Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

[1] "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships". Archived from the original on March 12, 2020.

[2] Emerman, Danny (November 4, 2019). "GROWING UP: At Syracuse, graduate transfer Elemy Colome has a final chance to prove her maturity". The Daily Orange. Retrieved April 25, 2021.

[3] Herman, Jason (July 9, 2020). "Pro Orange: Whisper Fisher Signs with Clube Galitos Aveiro". SU Athletics. Retrieved April 25, 2021.

[4] "UCF Adds Syracuse Transfer Alisha Lewis". UCF Athletics (Press release). June 11, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.

[5] "Pro Orange: Gabrielle Cooper Makes Professional Debut". SU Athletics. January 27, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.

[6] "Syracuse Orange". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 8, 2020.

[7] "2020-21 Women's Basketball Schedule". cuse.com. Syracuse University. Retrieved December 8, 2020.

[8] "Women's Basketball Game vs. Morgan State Canceled". cuse.com. Syracuse University Athletics. December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.

[9] "ACC Women's Basketball Announces Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.

[10] "Women's Basketball Game vs. Virginia Postponed". cuse.com. Syracuse Athletics. January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.

[11] "ACC Women's Basketball Announces Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.

[12] "ACC Women's Basketball Announces Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.

[13] "Duke Blue Devils end women's basketball season amid coronavirus concerns". espn.com. ESPN. December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.

[14] "ACC Announces Women's Basketball Postponements". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.

[15] "ACC Women's Basketball Announces Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

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v t e Syracuse Orange women's basketball
Venues	Manley Field House (1970–2006) JMA Wireless Dome (2006–present)
Rivalries	UConn
Culture & lore	Otto the Orange Syracuse ISP Sports Network
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics