HARTFORD, Conn. — Terri Williams-Flournoy said Syracuse’s defensive scheme didn’t surprise her at all.

But the Georgetown head coach admitted that even though it wasn’t a shock, Syracuse running a man-to-man defense required some adjustments. The Orange, known for its trademark 2-3 zone, played man-to-man from the start Saturday. SU did so, determined to neutralize the Hoyas’ two stars, Sugar Rodgers and Monica McNutt.

And for the most part, it worked. McNutt was held scoreless in the first half, while Rodgers made just five field goals throughout the game.

‘We had to make a few offensive adjustments because he did a really good job,’ Williams-Flournoy said. ‘Quentin Hillsman did a good job of taking out Monica McNutt and Sugar Rodgers.’

Despite the success of Syracuse’s defensive switch, the Orange couldn’t pull out the victory. Georgetown made the necessary adjustments in the second half to create shots, and Rodgers ended up with 18 points, which equaled her average for the season. The Hoyas didn’t make a field goal for the final 4:32, but they made nine free throws. The final two sealed a 61-60 Georgetown win with seven seconds remaining.

After the loss, Hillsman was disappointed with the game but happy with the defensive effort.

‘I thought it was a decision about not giving them shots,’ Hillsman said. ‘I thought that we did an excellent job in that defense. And look at their top scorers … 5-for-12 from the field from Sugar, 2-for-6 from Monica McNutt.’

From the get-go, Syracuse’s man-to-man defense put more pressure on Georgetown’s offense than its zone usually does. Kayla Alexander still hung around in the middle of the floor, but the other four Orange players guarded tightly on the perimeter.

The focus was keeping Rodgers, Georgetown’s All-Big East first-team selection, in check. The sophomore was closely guarded all game, as Erica Morrow, Elashier Hall and Carmen Tyson-Thomas all took turns face-guarding the Hoyas’ sophomore star.

In the first half, it worked to perfection. Although Syracuse dug itself a 14-2 deficit to start the game, Georgetown didn’t score again for nearly seven minutes.

With Syracuse up 21-20 and less than three minutes left in the first half, Morrow was all over Rodgers with about five seconds left on the shot clock. Rodgers drove left, couldn’t get past Morrow and was forced to heave a fadeaway jumper as the shot-clock buzzer sounded.

Air ball. Shot-clock violation.

‘We had to keep someone on her and just face up against her,’ Morrow said. ‘She’s a real physical player, so we definitely — Lacey and I — guarded her.

‘The key was just to be physical and match her intensity.’

Syracuse’s defense allowed eight points in the final 13:06 of the first half against a team that scored 80 points on the Orange on Jan. 4. Even if Georgetown expected man-to-man — Williams-Flournoy said it was the same defense SU played against Cincinnati earlier this season — the Hoyas didn’t know how to combat it.

Georgetown shot just 1-of-10 from 3-point range in the first half, with Rodgers and McNutt combining to go 0-for-4. The Hoyas’ transition offense kept them in the game, as nine of GU’s 22 points in the first half came on the fast break.

Syracuse’s defense stayed confident in the second half as well. When Georgetown was forced to run a half-court offense, Hall stayed on Rodgers like glue. McNutt always had a defender chasing her across the court, too.

The two stars finally got some support, though. Tommacina McBride came off the bench and made two second-half 3s. Rubylee Wright finished the game in double digits, with 11.

And Rodgers still got to her average.

She jumped in the passing lane and took a Tasha Harris pass coast-to-coast for a layup to cut Syracuse’s largest lead of the game — 42-31 — back to single digits. Later, she put back a missed shot on another fast break. Four quick points to get Georgetown back in the game.

‘My coach just told me to get open because, really, can’t nobody stop me,’ Rodgers said.

Rodgers made four of the nine Georgetown free throws in the last four minutes to seal the win. Average turned out to be good enough, even if Hillsman said his defensive scheme worked flawlessly.

‘Our defense worked perfectly,’ Hillsman said. ‘I thought some of their players that normally didn’t make shots stepped up and made shots.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on March 4, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr