Women's Basketball

Gabby Cooper rediscovers shooting touch in No. 24 Syracuse’s 93-65 win over Pittsburgh

Colin Davy | Asst. Photo Editor

Gabby Cooper scored 15 points on five made 3-pointers for the Orange.

In many ways, Gabby Cooper is a prototypical 3-point specialist. As a starting guard on the No. 24 team in the country, she roams the perimeter alongside the nation’s highest-scoring backcourt in Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson. Cooper hardly penetrates, save for an occasional offensive board floating her way or missed assignment leaving her a wide-open lane to attack.

But the title 3-point specialist hadn’t necessarily fit Cooper’s game. Recently, drive and kicks to Cooper ended in much the same way: a clanked 3. Cooper entered Thursday night 13-of-69 from deep in conference play, struggling to find the touch that launched her into the starting lineup three months ago.

Thursday night in the Carrier Dome, while SU senior center Briana Day worked a clinic in the low post — scoring a career-high 31 points — Cooper rediscovered the hallmark of her game. The freshman guard hit five 3-pointers for only the second time this season, dropping 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting in No. 24 Syracuse’s (16-7, 7-3 Atlantic Coast) 93-65 victory over Pittsburgh (12-10, 3-6). It’s Cooper’s second-highest scoring total this season and her highest in ACC play.

“She’s a phenomenal shooter. That’s why she’s here,” Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “She’s playing beautiful minutes for us.”

Cooper caught fire in the second half when the Panthers switched to a 1-3-1 zone. Left open on the right wing, she drilled all four 3-pointers she took. Thursday, in her 23rd straight start, her form was clean, her wrist action fluid and her legs working in unison as her arms extended in the air.



When Sykes and Peterson are guarded like hawks by the other team’s top defenders, Cooper finds space. Such was the case against Pitt. But when Cooper moves less off the ball, opponents pressure her. Part of why she’s missed on most of her 3s is that teams realize her one-dimensionality. Since 75 percent of her makes come from 3, Cooper’s contributions slumped.

To try to compensate, she made only small-scale adjustments to her shot. Instead, she spent extra sessions in the Carmelo Anthony Center, taking about 300 3-pointers per night. But this week, she shot fewer than 300 shots per day. And Thursday as a result, she scored more than she has in any game since Dec. 20. She’s 7-for-15 over her last two games, heating up at just the right time for Syracuse.

“I had to actually lay off a little bit because I was over-shooting myself,” said Cooper, who had five assists. “I was shooting too many shots a day. It’s coming back to me.”

The 5-foot-10 guard is tall enough to shoot over taller defenders. Couple that with a high release, and she can find room to shoot even off of only one dribble. When she gets hot, it draws pressure off of Sykes, and the ACC’s leading scorer Alexis Peterson, who scored only 12 points against the Panthers. Still, SU scored more points than it has in any game since a Dec. 10 109-60 over Niagara, a 12-game span.

“When you have Gabby Cooper, whom I’ve seen struggle win some games and hitting 3s, when she’s hitting 3s tonight, opening things up, now you have to respect her,” four-year Panthers head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said. “Because she’s no Briana Butler, but that’s the direction she is headed.”

Late in the game, Cooper hit a 3 from NBA range, sending the Dome to its loudest level of the night as SU took an 82-56 lead. Moments later, she ran off an Isabella Slim screen near the basket, caught a pass from Peterson and without hesitation rose up to drill her final 3-pointer of the day.

“She can shoot it, but more importantly she’s a tremendous floor spacer,” Hillsman said. “For us right now, what’s she’s doing is definitely needed.”





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