For four years, Shakeya Leary battled against the best of the best during Syracuse practices.

But now that Kayla Alexander, the leading scorer in program history, has taken her talents to the WNBA, Leary is receiving her shot to prove the experience gained from all of those practices can translate to the real hardwood.

The interior of the Orange’s zone is all hers now.

“She’s done a great job,” SU guard Brittney Sykes said. “We expect this out of ’Keya.”

When the Orange’s full-court press wasn’t dictating the flow of Thursday night’s game against Dartmouth, Leary was busy at work in the middle of SU’s 2-3 zone. The fifth-year senior logged her second straight double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds in Syracuse’s (2-0) 88-47 Carrier Dome-opening win over the Big Green (1-2).

Shooting 3-for-9 from the field, Leary didn’t provide quite the same offensive production she did Sunday — a 21-point outing in SU’s season-opening win at Washington State —but she still managed to contribute sporadically while maintaining her presence anchoring the Orange’s defense and crashing the boards.

“Shakeya Leary is playing great for us right now,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “I think she probably could’ve got some more touches and some more passes, but obviously having 10 and 14 against anybody is a good night.”

The Big Green jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the opening three minutes, but Leary helped SU snap out of its slow start.

When Sykes missed a layup, the center was in position for the offensive rebound and banked it in for two. After grabbing a defensive rebound that led to a fast-break opportunity for SU, Leary stuffed a Lakin Roland layup, and SU was out in transition again.

“(I’m) just trying to be aggressive,” Leary said, “and help my teammates out the way I can — rebounds, whatever I have to do.”

Later in the half, Roland again tried to drive past Leary’s 6-foot-3 frame and get to the rim. The Dartmouth forward stood at the high post. With only Leary situated between her and the rim, she threw up a shot fake.

Leary didn’t bite. The SU center stuck with Roland all the way to the basket and stuffed the shot effortlessly.

By halftime, Leary secured nine rebounds and swatted three of the Big Green’s shot attempts. Out of the break, Leary chipped in to SU’s suffocating full-court press effort by helping out with a trap at mid-court, picking up the loose ball and pushing it ahead.

She was Syracuse’s bruiser in the interior of the zone, but displayed a soft touch on the offensive end.

“We can throw the ball inside to her and she can make plays,” Hillsman said. “She can do really good things with the ball in her hands. … She’s a phenomenal rebounder, and she’s going to play this way every night. She’s just that kind of player.”

In addition to smoothly hitting all four of her free throws on the night, Leary also showcased a turnaround hook shot from the low post.

But her most impressive maneuver came midway through the second half. Posted up on the right block, Leary drop-stepped into the middle, eluded her defender with a ball fake, pivoted and tossed a shot up.

The ball swiveled around the rim, reluctant to fall through.

But it dropped, and Leary’s teammates leapt to their feet to applaud the center’s work.

“We know she can do it,” Sykes said. “She’s a great player, and we trust her with the ball.

“Whenever she goes to the basket, we know it’s going to go in.”

Published on November 14, 2013 at 11:17 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb