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On a two-game road trip to Clemson and Boston College, Syracuse picked up two crucial wins in what would be the first two Atlantic Coast Conference road wins for the Orange.

Against the Tigers, SU took advantage of a 19-1 run that spanned from the end of the second quarter and into the third to provide just enough of a cushion to fend off a Clemson comeback that cut the deficit to as low as four. And against the Eagles, Syracuse used a 15-3 run in the third quarter to get past Boston College and secure its third-straight win.

On Sunday, Syracuse returned to the JMA Wireless Dome, hosting No. 7 Notre Dame. Syracuse kept the game close in the first half, trailing just 31-26 at the midway point and even retook the lead on a 8-0 run to start the third quarter. But a quick 7-0 ND run early in the fourth quarter kickstarted a 22-11 fourth quarter in the Irish’s eventual 72-56 win.

Here are some observations from SU’s game against No. 7 Notre Dame (14-2, 5-1 ACC).

Close (for 3 quarters), but no cigar

Similar to Syracuse’s loss to NC State two weeks ago, the Orange fell flat in the fourth quarter. Syracuse was held scoreless in the final period as the Wolfpack stormed all the way back to retake the lead. The difference between that game and Sunday’s game against Notre Dame was that the Fighting Irish led entering the fourth quarter.

Felisha Legette-Jack called a timeout after a quick 7-0 ND run, which included a jumper from Olivia Miles and a corner 3. The Orange tried to chip away at a lead that reached as high as 16, but Dara Mabrey drilled two 3s. Miles hit another shortly after that countered anything Syracuse had left in the gas tank. Syracuse was outscored 22-11 in the fourth quarter, and its three-game winning streak snapped.

Taking advantage of the turnovers, block party early on

To keep up with Notre Dame, Syracuse knew it had to take advantage of the Fighting Irish turnovers. Entering the matchup averaging 10.88 steals per game, the best in the conference, the Orange played well defensively. In the first quarter alone, SU produced four steals and four points off turnovers. On one play, Dyaisha Fair intercepted a Miles pass, taking the ball quickly up the floor and finding Asia Strong down low who drew the foul and scored the bucket. It capped off a short 6-0 run to tie the game at 12.

In the second quarter, Strong stuffed Kylee Watson’s jumper, beginning the transition offense. Syracuse slowed down on the possession, but good ball movement broke down the Irish defense, resulting in two free throws for Strong. Kyra Wood, Dariauna Lewis and Georgia Woolley each recorded at least one block each as well.

ND’s first-half inside scoring

Aside from a baseline jumper and a 3-pointer by Mabrey, the other 24 first-half points from the field all came inside the paint. Notre Dame had easy layup after easy layup, led by Miles’ 10 first-half points. In transition, Miles had a one-on-one with Teisha Hyman and euro-stepped to the cup, converting after creating an easy layup.

Notre Dame isn’t prone to getting the bulk of its scoring from 2-point range — it scored from inside the arc at a 61.6% clip, which ranked 334th per Her Hoop Stats. Additionally, Syracuse is one of the better teams defensively on the inside, ranking 25th in the percentage of opponent points from inside. Strong and Wood made it difficult down low, notching a combined five blocks.

Miles continued her offensive success in the latter part of the third quarter, getting a jumper inside the paint, as well as a fast-break layup to get ND a 50-45 lead entering the fourth quarter. Eventually in the second half, ND began to get buckets from the perimeter that helped it slip away from the Orange.

Sharing the scoring

Syracuse has been prone to rely on Fair for its scoring, but in recent games, it’s starting to see much more production offensively from other players. Though Fair led the Orange in both games against Clemson and Boston College, Syracuse had five and six players, respectively, in double figures. By halftime against Notre Dame, Alaina Rice, Strong and Fair all had six points while three other players were in the stat sheet, too.

Rice drained a 3 from the left wing to cut SU’s deficit to 12-9 off a Fair assist. Woolley dribbled left and cut back right for a layup and on SU’s first basket of the second half. Then, Woolley penetrated from the left wing before slipping a pass to Wood under the basket for an easy two. Fair also nailed a 3 from the right wing to cap off an 8-0 third quarter run, forcing ND head coach Niele Ivey to call a timeout.

After the timeout, Fair dribbled to the left side of the key, handing the ball off to Hyman who penetrated, stepped back and made the mid-range jumper. Hyman also picked up two assists, one coming when she drove down the right baseline, before dishing the ball off to Wood down low. The second one came as Hyman found Lewis under the basket to draw an and-one opportunity. Although Lewis missed the free-throw as SU went up 40-38. Fair still led the way for the Orange with 14 points.

Published on January 15, 2023 at 4:54 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini