Syracuse was down 27 points at the half against one of the best teams in women’s basketball history. The ESPN commentators on the halftime show said the chances of a comeback were slim, and the crowd inside the Sheraton Hotel watch party was starting to thin.

“I think we can still do it,” said Zainab Sanni, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, at halftime. “I’m still hoping for a win.”

Sanni’s friend, Victoria Mobolaji, also a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, was surprised by her optimism.

“Really? You still think they can do it?” Mobolaji said. “They have no chance.”

At the start of the Tuesday night game, more than 200 members of the Syracuse community packed into a ballroom in the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center to see if the SU women’s basketball team could pull off one of the biggest upsets in basketball history.

They didn’t. The women’s team lost 82-51 to the University of Connecticut. But that didn’t stop the crowd from cheering earnestly for a win — with orange pom-poms in hand — even after UConn scored one after the other and Syracuse missed baskets.

When Syracuse did score or got a rebound, there were glimmers of hope from the crowd, with chants of “Let’s go Orange!” and “Defense! Defense!”

“It’s catch-up time,” Karen Hangerfield, an older Syracuse resident, kept saying as Syracuse fell 20, 25 and 30 points behind. “Come on, you can do this!”

When SU scored 16 points in the third quarter, the crowd’s cheers reverberated through the room — the loudest it got throughout the entire game. But that wasn’t enough to put Syracuse ahead.

As the fourth quarter wore on and Syracuse fell further behind, more people left. With about five minutes left, nearly a quarter of the crowd was gone. Those who remained cheered when Syracuse scored, but less enthusiastically. The time kept ticking down. UConn kept scoring.

“Regardless of the result, I’m proud of this team,” Sanni said. “I’m proud of how many people showed up.

“I’m feeling so Orange right now.”

Right before the game ended, people started talking among themselves. More people started leaving, putting on heavy coats to cover up their Syracuse sweaters and T-shirts, before heading out into the cold.

“I’m happy they made it this far,” said Simrita Sandhu, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. “The best team won.”

“Don’t say that!” said Michelle Tiburcio, also a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Well it’s true!” Sandhu replied. “Really, it was just fun being here and watching it with everyone.”

Published on April 6, 2016 at 12:00 am

Contact Rachel: rsandler@syr.edu