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Najé Murray hit two consecutive 3s to pull Syracuse within seven points of Florida State. Then she missed two straight, and the Orange’s deficit had once again fallen to double digits late in the fourth quarter.

On Murray’s second missed 3, Alaina Rice dove to keep the ball in play, flinging it toward Chrislyn Carr. But Morgan Jones secured the rebound, and Florida State turned the other way, setting Sara Bejedi up for a layup, which she missed. Murray first grabbed the loose ball, but River Baldwin ultimately secured the board, stripping it out of Murray’s hands.

FSU’s Erin Howard missed a layup on the ensuing possession just before the shot clock expired, and Baldwin grabbed the ball again, leading to a foul from Chrislyn. Then, on the Seminoles’ inbound play, Howard scored a layup to put the Seminoles up 12 with two minutes left.

The Orange, whose defense kept the game close early in the game with improved rebounding, saw the game open up as it progressed and were once again outlasted inside.

“We were doing a pretty good job with points in the paint,” acting head coach Vonn Read said. “They came out right away in the third quarter and started pounding the ball inside, and early in the fourth quarter they started running a few ball screens as well.”

Syracuse (11-13, 4-10 Atlantic Coast Conference) held Florida State (13-11, 7-7 ACC) to just 11 offensive rebounds, its third-fewest allowed all season, while recording 26 defensive rebounds of its own on Tuesday. Still, the Seminoles managed 44 points in the paint and a 43.5% field goal percentage, which the Orange ultimately couldn’t match.

Each game, Syracuse players and Read have said that they expect to be outsized in the paint, especially at the start of ACC play. Typically, the Orange’s defensive strategy relies on its 2-3 zone, which forces its opponents to shoot from deep, thus limiting the action inside. Murray said that it is a constant adjustment the Orange must undergo for each unique opponent, defensively, based on the opposition’s personnel.

“Florida State has a really good ball screen there, so we had Alaysia (Styles) and Teisha (Hyman) up there for a lot of ball screen action,” Murray said. “They weren’t a big post team like other teams we’ve seen, but we adjust.”

The adjustment led to a more compact zone defense early on, which limited Florida State to just three 3-pointers and eight points in the paint. Despite a 6-0 Seminoles run, giving them a 12-5 lead within the first three minutes, Syracuse regrouped after an early timeout and didn’t allow a field goal for the next 3:30.

Syracuse also couldn’t score during that span, going over four minutes without a single point. But the Orange were able to regenerate their offensive momentum during that span, scoring four consecutive buckets in the paint while holding Florida State scoreless from the field for the last three minutes of the opening quarter. During that span, SU grabbed five of its eight defensive rebounds in the quarter, which helped ignite its reliable transition game early on.

“If we can force them to miss shots, no one is faster than Teisha and Chrislyn in this conference in a foot race. I’m taking them over anyone else,” Murray said. “It just gets hard with the press and the transition that we’re playing in our offense.”

Midway through the second quarter, Murray secured a defensive rebound after a missed 3 from Kourtney Weber. She immediately launched a ball into FSU’s end to Chrislyn for an open layup, giving SU a narrow, one-point lead midway through the second quarter. Syracuse finished with 18 fast break points and 30 points off turnovers, largely led by finding Chrislyn — who led SU with 20 points — in transition for easy, routine layups.

And during the Orange’s 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter, Hyman uncontestedly secured Sammie Puisis’ missed 3. She heaved a long pass into the Seminoles’ end to Styles for an almost identical layup. Syracuse’s transition game was in effect when it mattered, even showing promising glimpses in the fourth quarter, but once again, a poor offensive performance outweighed a seemingly improved defense.

“Trusting Alaysia to set the ball screen for where I needed to be and trusting myself that I can make those shots and trusting my teammates,” Chrislyn said regarding her role in SU’s transition game. “Knowing when it’s my time to shoot it and when it’s my time to pass it.”

Styles and Hyman led Syracuse in rebounds with seven and 13, respectively, with Hyman recording her second double-double of the season — the first with rebounds. While Hyman was responsible for igniting the Orange’s transition game, she also helped prevent Florida State’s second chance opportunities, as it finished with only nine second chance points compared to SU’s 13.

Still, Syracuse’s success on the boards in its own end was not reciprocated on offense, where it finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. After Chrislyn missed a midrange jumper, Howard secured the defensive rebound, Hyman fouled her, and the Seminoles made both free throws to extend their lead to nine early in the third quarter.

“Our defense was a little better today compared to other games,” Chrislyn said. “We just have to get there and work hard, and it shows a lot. We have to keep growing and keep helping (Hyman) and Alaysia in these games, can’t take them for granted.”

While Syracuse took over 70 shots for the eighth time this season, Chrislyn said that the team must sustain an all-around performance, especially in the dying stages of the ACC season.

“Everyone took their shots; we just have to do a better job of sustaining it,” Chrislyn said.

Published on February 16, 2022 at 12:26 am

Contact Alex: ahcirino@syr.edu