Ruthy Hebard won the opening tip off and Erin Boley drained a corner three to start the scoring, then Satou Sabally connected with her first points of the season - a triple - that put the Ducks up 6-0. Kiara Lewis missed her first couple of free throws, but Syracuse got on the board moments later when Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi made a layup.
Sabally missed a triple but was fortunate enough to have the ball bounce to Minyon Moore who immediately fed her for another shot from the same spot, which she nailed. However, the Orange responded with an 8-0 run as the Ducks made some surprising mistakes, including a turnover and travel from Sabrina Ionescu.