Upset Wednesday: Syracuse, Princeton and UC Davis secure big wins

The turmoil that the Syracuse women's basketball program faced this past offseason was well-documented. Head coach Quentin Hillsman resigned after he was accused of bullying players and nearly the entire 2020-21 roster transferred elsewhere.

As a result, the Orange went from a second-round NCAA Tournament team to being predicted to finish 12th out of 15 teams in the ACC this year. They started 2-4 with blowout losses coming to currently ranked teams in Notre Dame and South Florida and other losses coming to Minnesota and Buffalo.

However, after defeating Colgate on Sunday, Syracuse (4-4, 0-1 ACC) earned a big-time win when it upset No. 18 Ohio State (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) 97-91 on Wednesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

The Orange played just six players in the victory at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, with redshirt sophomore Teisha Hyman dropping an impressive 30 points to go along with six assists. Texas Tech transfer Naje Murray added 21 points, seven rebounds and five helpers and former Texas Tech star Chrislyn Carr, who transferred to Baylor mid-season last year, had 23 points.

Jacy Sheldon led the Buckeyes with 23 points and also had three assists and three steals, while Taylor Mikesell had 21 points and five rebounds and Rebeka Mikulasikova had 16 points and seven boards.

Syracuse trailed by six after one, but won the second by three and the third by 10 before leading by at least six throughout the fourth.

Other upsets

Princeton Tigers (6-1, 0-0 Ivy) over No. 22 FGCU Eagles (7-1, 0-0 ASUN), 58-55

An Abby Meyers jumper with 20 seconds to go put the Tigers up two and an Ellie Mitchell steal gave them the ball back with six ticks remaining. FGCU was unable to attempt another shot and a Maggie Connolly free throw for Princeton resulted in the final score.

The victory was the Tigers’ first over a Top 25 opponent in 43 years.

Meyers finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals, while Grace Stone added 17, five and three. The nation’s second-leading scorer, Kierstan Bell, dropped 19 points and had 12 rebounds and three blocks in defeat. She was 0-of-9 from distance.

FCGU attempted 29 threes, making eight, while Princeton attempted just five, making two.

The Tigers were picked to win the Ivy League this year and also have a quality, 20-point win over CAA co-favorite Delaware.

UC Davis Aggies (4-2, 0-0 Big West) over No. 18 Oregon Ducks (3-3, 0-0 Pac-12), 64-57

Oregon was without stars Nyara Sabally and Te-Hina Paopao, but still a great win for the Aggies, who were picked to finish first in the Big West but have a blowout loss to San Francisco on their resume. Cierra Hall led the way with 13 points to go along with her five boards and three assists. Davis was down one at halftime but won the third by eight. Oregon didn't help itself by going 10-of-17 at the free throw line and 5-of-22 from deep.