It’s rare for Syracuse to start a game as well as it did Thursday night. The Orange have been outscored in the first quarter for five consecutive games—four of those ended in losses. After a 3-for-3 start from the field against Virginia Tech, SU’s scoring woes looked to be at least temporarily solved, perhaps long enough to earn a win and keep its tournament hopes alive.

It didn’t take long for Syracuse’s start to turn. Starting at the 7:51 mark of the first quarter, the Orange failed to score over the next nine minutes and 41 seconds. It took SU more than 10 minutes to reach double digits, a mark it was just a basket away from after two minutes.

As Syracuse (10-10, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) gradually chipped away at a 16-point deficit over the next two-and-a-half quarters, its offense changed, particularly in the final frame. Point guard Kiara Lewis spearheaded a comeback that culminated with her game-winning layup with 4.6 seconds remaining, the final touch in a 67-65 victory over Virginia Tech (15-5, 5-4 Atlantic Coast) on Thursday night in the Carrier Dome.

“It started with our bigs, they were making plays in the post and it opened up driving lanes for me,” Lewis said. “We were dumping it down there, I was able to finish.”

Among SU’s problems during its recent skid has been its offense, almost everything about it. Including Thursday night, the Orange have shot 16-for-69 (23.2%) from behind the arc in the last three games. Lewis has remained the Orange’s top scoring threat, but forced shots and turnovers have proved costly. Digna Strautmane, SU’s sharpshooter, is 6-for-35 (17.1%) from deep in the last six games. Emily Engstler had two points in losses to Georgia Tech and Duke, her lowest totals of the season.

Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman has said throughout the season that the 3-pointer is a crucial part of the team’s gameplan, and SU aims to make 10 long balls per game. The Orange haven’t reached that clip since their 84-76 loss to Michigan on Dec. 5. Twelve games have passed since. On Thursday night, the 3-ball wasn’t working, so SU altered its plan on offense in the second half, a change spurred by assistant coach Vonn Read.

“Vonn told us we need to start running some stuff to get the ball into the paint,” Hillsman said. “We started calling sets to get the ball posted to that midline, so credit goes to the players for making the shots and Vonn for getting me back focused on the sideline.”

Down 57-47 with nine minutes remaining, the Orange’s offense switched on. Lewis stopped settling for jumpers, instead driving to the paint and using her instinct to decide whether to pass or shoot. Unlike the first half, the Chicago native’s decision-making and finishing around the rim was smart and swift. As she began to get Amaya Finklea-Guity, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi and Engstler involved, SU’s comeback bid became a reality to the excited Carrier Dome crowd.

“Everybody can play,” Lewis said about Syracuse’s turnaround. “There are no bad basketball players on our team and I mean, that’s what’s expected.”

Lewis brought the deficit back to single-digits with just over six minutes remaining in the game. She inbounded the ball to Finklea-Guity, quickly got it back, then collided with two Hokies defenders as she rose for a layup. And-1. Two minutes later, Finklea-Guity drilled a hook shot followed by an Engstler 3, one of SU’s two attempts from behind the arc in the final quarter.

The Orange continued to pound the ball inside to Finklea-Guity and Djaldi-Tabdi, who combined for eight of Syracuse’s 22 points in the fourth quarter. Down by two with a minute to go, Engstler fed Djaldi-Tabdi in the paint where she backed Elizabeth Kitley towards the basket. Djaldi-Tabdi spun left and converted the game-tying layup. A stop on the other end 30 seconds later meant SU would have the final shot.

Lewis hovered around the top of the key and did exactly what propelled the Orange back into the game — attacking the rim. She went straight at Kitley and cut left, giving herself the separation needed to float the ball over the defender’s hand and off the backboard. From there, it dropped into the basket, and somehow SU was back in the lead, something it held for less than two minutes of the game.

Staring at the box score as she answered questions from the media postgame, Gabrielle Cooper, Syracuse’s only rostered senior, reflected on what was a special and perhaps season-altering comeback win.

After a 30-point blowout loss to Duke a week ago, Cooper said SU needed to “make a commitment to making stops, to playing defense” while continuing to score. On Thursday, Syracuse did just that.

“I’m just looking at the numbers and I’m so proud,” Cooper said. “We held them to nine points in the fourth quarter and we were outscored every other quarter. So we literally needed every bucket we scored and we needed to close down the top. And we did.”

Published on January 31, 2020 at 12:24 am

Contact David: ddschnei@syr.edu