SYRACUSE -- Quentin Hillsman shrugged at his newfound success.

"I knew that we had a chance to be good," said Hillsman, the second-year coach of the Syracuse women's basketball team. "But it all depended on our newcomers and how quickly they would adjust to playing Division I basketball. And they've done a good job."

In the win-loss column, the Orange women have been nearly flawless. Syracuse began the season 13-1 and won a school-record 12 in a row before losing 85-75 Wednesday night at Big East rival Pittsburgh. Syracuse's only other loss was 97-72 on the road against third-ranked North Carolina in the second game of the season.

For a team that's been down and out for many of the 37 years it has competed — before Hillsman, Syracuse was 104-174 in 10 seasons under Marianna Freeman and 28-55 in three seasons under Keith Cieplicki — this feels different.

"It's important for the school that the women's basketball program is good, and I want to try to help make sure it is," said men's coach Jim Boeheim, who has built his program into a national power. "There's no reason you can't have a really successful program here, and he's the first guy that's come in and done it."

So what happened since athletic director Daryl Gross tabbed Hillsman as the women's coach when Cieplicki suddenly resigned in June 2006? How have the Orange been able to become nearly unbeatable after going 9-20 and 3-13 in the Big East in Hillsman's rookie season?

"We've got better players," Hillsman said.

For more of this story, read Sunday's edition of The Citizen.