Support The Daily Orange this holiday season! The money raised between now and the end of the year will go directly toward aiding our students. Donate today.

In Syracuse’s last game — a 57-45 loss at Texas A&M Wednesday — the Orange’s offense stalled. It was the least amount of points SU had scored since it fell to Duke 58-45 on Feb. 22, 2024. SU’s leading scorer Georgia Woolley shot 3-for-17 from the field, while fellow Australian Sophie Burrows went 0-for-9. 3-point shooting, which had previously been a strong set, plagued SU, as it shot 3-for-17 from distance.

SU had little time to lick its wounds. Sunday, Syracuse hosted No. 10 Notre Dame, who was coming off an 80-70 overtime win over No. 4 Texas. However, SU hung with the Fighting Irish early, with seven lead changes and four ties in the first half. But after trailing 21-20 in the first quarter, ND’s advantage stretched to seven at halftime. Then, in the third quarter, Hannah Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish heated up, outscoring Syracuse 29-13. The Fighting Irish was on cruise control the rest of the way.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (4-6, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) 93-62 loss to No. 10 Notre Dame (7-2, 1-0 ACC):

Kayla Alexander’s jersey retirement

Kayla Alexander was a transformational player for SU, playing for the Orange from 2009-13. Alexander still holds program records in total points (2,024), blocks (350), field goals (736) and free throws (552) and is tied for the most games played (140). The 6-foot-4 center also helped catapult SU into a consistent top-25 program and NCAA Tournament participant and attracted more highly rated recruits to come to SU.

Alexander’s impact at Syracuse was recognized with her jersey retirement at halftime of Sunday’s game. In fall 2022, Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack notified Alexander SU wanted to retire her jersey. But due to her professional career overseas, Alexander couldn’t return for the ceremony until Sunday.

At halftime, a tribute video played on the Dome’s jumbotron, narrated by Alexander’s close friend and former coach at SU, Kornell Battle. Then, Alexander’s No. 40 was raised into the rafters alongside current head coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s No. 33. Legette-Jack was SU’s first women’s basketball player to have her jersey retired in 2021.

Handling Hidalgo

After being named a First-Team Associated Press All-American and the nation’s top point guard as a freshman, Hidalgo has started her sophomore campaign strongly, averaging 24.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game entering Sunday’s contest.

Her first action against Syracuse was a driving floater from the right side of the paint. Her shot was pure, and she was fouled in the process. Though she couldn’t convert the free-throw attempt to cap the 3-point play. Hidalgo made a run down the court with just over a minute in the first quarter. Olivia Miles fed her the ball in stride and Hidalgo finished the reverse layup. On Notre Dame’s next possession, roles were reversed as Hidalgo picked out Miles, who nailed a 3-pointer.

To close the first quarter, after Syracuse’s Dominique Camp netted a 3, Notre Dame was left with five seconds to go the full length of the court. Enter Hidalgo. The guard mazed her way through the SU defense, converting the off-balance layup to hand ND a one-point lead after one quarter.

Hidalgo got the second quarter started with a made floater, extending the Fighting Irish’s lead to three. After finishing the first half with nine points on 4-for-10 shooting, Hidalgo started the third quarter with an off-balance layup. Hidalgo sank a 3 and a driving layup in quick succession to hand ND a 15-point lead at the 5:49 mark of the third quarter.

Hidalgo finished the game with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Burrows tries to end shooting flunk

Sophie Burrows had been amid a shooting flunk. In SU’s second game at the Emerald Coast Classic on Nov. 26, an 86-59 loss to Creighton, the Australian had shot 1-for-6 and mustered five points. Burrows’ dry spell continued in SU’s loss in last Sunday’s win against Yale, as she again managed five points on 1-for-6 shooting.

Burrows’ shooting woes worsened Wednesday in Syracuse’s defeat at Texas A&M. She went 0-for-9 and 0-for-5 from 3. Afterward, Legette-Jack said it’s hard for SU to win if its shooters aren’t making shots.

“You got two great shooters, and it’s OK if one of them is off, but when they both go 0-for-9 and 3-for-17, it’s going to be a long day,” Legette-Jack said. “I’ve just never been a part of a team where every shooter couldn’t score.”

Despite SU’s loss to Notre Dame, Burrows seemed to end her streak early. She got a 3-pointer to drop two minutes into the first quarter. While she missed her next three shots, she nailed a jumper to hand SU an early 15-13 lead.

To end the second quarter, she knocked down another triple. Though she missed another three consecutive shots in the third quarter, she kept releasing attempts and hit double-digit points for the first time since her 15 against Missouri on Nov. 25. Burrows knocked down three free throws to close the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw more misses for Burrows, as she finished the game with 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting and 2-for-7 3-point shooting.

3rd-quarter domination

Heading into the break, SU had hung close with Notre Dame, matching each attack the Fighting Irish created. But in the third quarter, ND outscored the Orange 29-13 and its lead extended to 65-42.

Notre Dame’s offensive explosion came as its rotation players stepped up. Sonia Citron sank a corner 3 a little over a minute into the quarter. Center Kate Koval set up camp in the paint and racked up six points in the third quarter. Hidalgo then flashed her ability with two scores.

From the 6:39 point to the end of the third quarter, Notre Dame went on an 18-2 run where its offense hummed. Nearly every pass was crisp and almost every shot was pure. Citron finished the third quarter with eight points and Miles managed four assists and four points. In total, ND shot 64.7% from 3, while SU shot 25%. The result was a near-insurmountable lead and ND showed why it’s a top-10 team.

Published on December 8, 2024 at 2:14 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal