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The Orange snapped a six-game losing streak against Pittsburgh only to fall again a few days against Miami. And in a rematch against No. 4 Louisville, their toughest opponent so far this season, Syracuse lost 100-64. 

Still, SU kept the game somewhat close like it had done against the Cardinals earlier this season when it shot 48.1% from the field, shooting 50% from deep in the first half. But Louisville continued to answer almost every Syracuse basket with one of its own, not letting the Orange launch into a scoring run even though their offense was playing efficiently. 

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (9-12, 2-9 Atlantic Coast) second straight loss:

Najé Murray shines

Following a rough stretch of shooting earlier this season, Najé Murray has picked up her play in recent games for the Orange. She had 12 points in the first half against Miami before getting ejected from the game after two intentional fouls in the third quarter.

But after hitting one 3-pointer against Louisville, Murray started to become more of a point guard than a shooting guard, moving the Orange quick in transition. Despite being 5-foot-6, Murray outrebounded the Cardinals’ 6-foot-5 Liz Dixon on one possession before heaving a cross-court pass to Christianna Carr for the transition layup. On UL’s next possession, Murray stole the ball and mimicked the previous play, this time to Chrislyn Carr. 

In the second quarter, Murray hit from deep again. Then, she took the ball up to the top of the key on her own before taking a few steps in for a mid-range jumper. The jumper fell, and Murray was fouled though she missed the free throw. Still, Murray said that at this point in her career, with four years of undergraduate experience, she’s perfected her own shot selection. 

“I know what’s the right shot. I know the timely shot,” Murray said earlier this season. “My teammates know when I’m going to shoot it.”

At the end of the third quarter, Murray didn’t look for an open shot, instead electing to go into the lane. Murray created enough separation from her defender off a pass from Christianna for the score.

Defensive blunders 

This season, Louisville entered the game averaging over 70 points per game and has beaten teams by an average margin of 17.8 points. The Cardinals immediately got on the board with a mid-range jumper from Chelsie Hall, but they started to set up attempts from deep later in the first quarter. 

Specifically, Louisville targeted the left side of the Orange’s 2-3 zone, which normally stationed Murray. By having shooters on the wing and in the corner, Murray couldn’t guard both players at the same time, and Teisha Hyman was unable to come over and help on some possessions. 

Assisted by Hailey Van Lith, Hall hit the Cardinals’ first 3-pointer from the left wing. Kianna Smith scored from the same spot on their ensuing possession. And on the last play of the first quarter, Payton Verhulst freed up in the corner, letting go of the ball while Murray was still running at her to try and get a hand up. Verhulst hit the shot at the buzzer, giving Louisville a 13-point lead heading into the second period. 

And the Cardinals also found success inside through Dixon, who found the soft spots which were unguarded in the paint for quick layups. In the first quarter, an opening was left by the Orange’s 2-3 zone in the paint off the inbounds pass, giving Smith the same opportunity.

In the second half, Louisville continued to go inside, though Alaysia Styles and Christianna drew offensive charges on straight possessions. But the Cardinals continued to win the battle on the boards with 15 offensive rebounds by the end of the third quarter. After Van Lith missed a 3-pointer, Smith rebounded the ball and found Dixon wide-open in the paint for another easy layup. 

Christianna Carr and Alaysia Styles

In its win over Pittsburgh, Syracuse unleashed Christianna and Styles offensively, with Christianna tying a season-high 19 points. With Hyman double-teamed early on by Louisville’s defense, the Orange looked for the pair of bigs to contribute again.

Styles took advantage of how the Cardinals’ defense was playing her first, taking a wide-open 3-pointer at the top of the key while her defender sagged off. While the shot didn’t fall, Christianna put the Orange on the scoreboard by driving through the lane for an easy layup. 

Styles eventually scored from deep, but she was able to find other open shooters earlier in the first half. With four minutes left in the first quarter, Styles received the ball while she was double-teamed in the paint. Despite having two defenders on her, she got the ball out to the corner where Chrislyn drained a 3-pointer. 

At the start of the second half, Louisville tried to break through the Orange’s full-court press. But Christianna, who was out of her normal position at the back of the press, stole the ball from Olivia Cochran. She immediately found Murray to cut the Cardinals’ lead to nine. Styles also stole the ball near the end of the third quarter, which eventually made its way to Alaina Rice for a tough layup that fell. 

3-point shooting 

Syracuse shot 28.1% in its loss to the Hurricanes, a fall off from its 40.6% performance from deep in the 80-72 win over Pittsburgh but an improvement from its 20.0% and 15.0% nights against Georgia Tech and Notre Dame. The Orange briefly returned to their 3-point success versus the Cardinals, shooting 50% from that distance in the first half. 

“It was just a matter of time — they’ve been getting some good shots,” acting head coach Vonn Read said after the win over the Panthers. 

In the first half, the Orange spread the wealth from deep between four of their five starters, making a total of seven. Chrislyn led the team with three 3-pointers, getting one off a feed from Styles while scoring the other two on her own. 

Midway through the second quarter, Chrislyn found Hyman at the top of the key with the shot clock winding down. Despite being a few steps behind the 3-point line, Hyman let the ball go. The shot was a little strong, hitting the backboard before ultimately falling through the net. 

But in the second half, the Orange were a lot less successful from deep. They went 0-for-7 in the third quarter, only breaking their miss streak two minutes into the final period. Rice made the shot, using one dribble to step back and get enough space for the heave.  

Published on February 6, 2022 at 2:25 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu