Five possessions. That’s what Quentin Hillsman thinks is the difference between his Syracuse women’s basketball team being good and being great.

‘I’ve watched the last three minutes of every game we’ve lost this year,’ Hillsman said. ‘And we are five possessions away from being probably one of the top 12 teams in the country.’

If three of those possessions had gone the other way, the Orange might be sitting pretty in the Big East standings and in line for an NCAA Tournament berth, Hillsman rationalizes.

Close defeats have plagued the Orange in the Big East stretch of its schedule. Syracuse is 0-5 in games decided by five or fewer points, including a two-point loss against No. 14 Georgetown on Jan. 2, a three-point loss to No. 22 St. John’s on Jan. 27 and a one-point loss to No. 4 Notre Dame on Jan. 30.

Going into the toughest stretch of its season which begins Sunday afternoon at Rutgers (1 p.m., ESPNU), SU (18-7, 5-7 Big East) hopes to reverse its trend of bitter defeats this season.

Hillsman and his team wonder how things could be different if a couple possessions had turned their way.

A box out at Providence. A hand in the face of Cincinnati’s Shareese Ulis or Notre Dame’s Ashley Barlow. A missed shot against Georgetown on an open look.

‘Late in those games, the whole time you have to stay focused,’ senior forward Juanita Ward said. ‘If you lose concentration, if you lose focus, you can let things slip away. The main thing is just staying focused.’

Heading into the team’s last four games, SU is tied for eighth in the Big East standings, clumped in with DePaul, Marquette and South Florida. And Hillsman is still hoping to finish .500 in the conference standings.

In the Orange’s toughest stretch yet – at Rutgers (15-11, 7-5 Big East) and DePaul and home against No. 1 Connecticut and No. 9 West Virginia – it becomes all that much more important to place a premium on those late possessions that could swing the balance of the game.

After starting for four years in a grueling Big East slate, senior forward Nicole Michael knows how important this final stretch will be in determining the Orange’s postseason fate. She also realizes that SU will likely be in some close contests in that stretch against the conference’s best, and the Orange’s play down the stretch will be under the microscope.

‘This is definitely the toughest stretch of my career,’ Michael said. ‘We want to go to the NCAA Tournament, that’s our goal. We are probably feeling some pressure, but we just have to come together late in those games as a team and get it done.’

For Ward, it’s just about playing a full 40 minutes. Not feeling the pressure of the late-game situation, but rather relishing in the spotlight is something SU needs to do in the contest’s final minutes.

‘There’s no pressure at all,’ Ward said. ‘Because if you put pressure on yourself, it’s harder to come out with a win. We’re a very confident team. The players are confident, our coach is confident. We need to take that confidence with us on the court in those situations.’

When Hillsman watches those last few minutes of every game, he realizes how close his team is to accomplishing so much more this season. And in SU’s final four games, he knows that the Orange finally has to win some of those close games.

‘I think that really proves how close we are,’ Hillsman said. ‘I think people look at the overall record and say you’ve underachieved. When you talk about five possessions away from being Top 10, top 12 in the country it’s actually some encouragement.’

He also knows the difference between a good team and a great team, though. Hillsman said the Orange are a good team, and it’s still to be determined whether they can be a great team.

And, maybe, just maybe, pulling out some close wins to give the Orange a few marquee Big East victories heading into the Big East tournament could be one sign.

‘That’s what great teams do,’ Hillsman said. ‘In those close games, when they get opportunities, they make a play.’

bplogiur@syr.edu

Published on February 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm