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Syracuse tops Michigan in Sunshine Classic opener, 77-63

A dominant outing by senior Gabrielle Cooper gave Syracuse its first win of the Florida Sunshine Classic as the Orange cruised by No. 19/23 Michigan State 77-63. Cooper paced the ‘Cuse squad with a season-best 19 points and was aided by sophomore Emily Engstler registering her sixth double-double of the year. Syracuse is now 2-1 all-time against Michigan State, and have won back-to-back contests.

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“We knew we had to come in here and play a great basketball team,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “Michigan State’s a great team and they played well. We knew we had to come in here against a ranked team and our kids did well. They had a really great effort and I’m proud of them.”

For the fourth-straight game dating back to Nov. 30 vs Green Bay, four Orange players hit double-digits.

Cooper was the first player to hit double-digits, recording 11 points in the opening stanza. Her 19 points on the night were a season-best.

Engstler was a point shy of her sixth double-double of the year after 20 minutes, recording nine points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes of play. She would go to to get that final point two minutes into the third. Engslter’s 17 boards also set a new career mark.