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Following its narrow 83-81 loss against then-No. 20 Maryland on Nov. 19, Syracuse responded with a three-game win streak. SU swept Northern Iowa and Iowa State in the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas, NV, and defeated Alabama in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

Against Northeastern Monday, the Orange continued their dominance, extending their win streak to four. Syracuse is now 5-0 against non-Power Five teams in 2023-24.

The Orange started slow, trailing 19-18 at the end of the first quarter, but they took a lead with 6:19 remaining in the second quarter. An 11-0 run in the second quarter helped Syracuse take a 32-27 lead into halftime.

SU continued to build on its advantage throughout the second half, outscoring Northeastern 47-30 en route to a blowout win.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (7-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 79-57 win over Northeastern (4-4, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association):

Bristol contained down the stretch

Following back-to-back traveling violations by each team on its first possession of the game, Northeastern got the ball down low to forward Deja Bristol. After establishing an inside position against Izabel Varejão, Bristol dropped in an easy layup for the game’s first points. Bristol finished the first quarter with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field.

But the Orange held Bristol in check in the second quarter, limiting her to just two points while only allowing the Huskies to score six points throughout the quarter.

At the start of the second half, Bristol pulled down back-to-back offensive rebounds on consecutive possessions. She threw up an errant layup on the first possession, but she drew a foul and knocked down both of her free throws on the ensuing possession. After picking up her third foul three minutes into the third quarter, Bristol sat on the bench for nearly three minutes before returning.

Once she got back in, Bristol was silenced, only converting on two late free throws to cut the Huskies’ deficit to 22 points.

Fair starts slow but finishes strong

Dyaisha Fair entered tonight’s game as SU’s leading scorer (19.0 points per game) and shot-taker (114 field goal attempts), but she was very passive in the first half. Despite draining her first shot for SU’s first points, Fair didn’t attempt another shot for the rest of the opening half.

Northeastern played good defense on Fair, constantly double-teaming her on screens and forcing her away from the rim when she tried to penetrate, but she passed on shots from mid-range that she usually capitalizes on.

When she was off the ball, Fair often stayed stagnant behind the 3-point line, not looking to cut and make a play for SU. Fair’s next shot attempt didn’t come until four minutes into the third period when she drove into the paint and made a driving layup. On the ensuing possession, Fair had another opportunity to drive to the rim but she opted to pass to Woolley, who missed a 3.

With under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Fair attempted her first 3 of the game from the left wing, yet it clanged off the back rim.

But in the fourth quarter, Fair emerged, scoring 10 points which included a personal 8-0 run with two made 3-pointers. Fair finished the contest with 14 points.

Cleaning the glass

Entering Monday, Syracuse’s 15.3 offensive rebounds per game was the 15th-best in Division I. In the first half alone, the Orange corralled 11 offensive rebounds compared to the Huskies’ one.

This allowed SU to make 12 field goals as compared to the Huskies’ 11. It also attempted six more free throws than them.

The Orange didn’t grab an offensive rebound until the 3:26 mark of the third quarter, but Alyssa Latham made it count. After Georgia Woolley missed from 3, Latham glided into the paint before soaring up for the rebound and converting on a put-back layup. This ended SU’s nearly three-minute scoring drought.

Syracuse wasn’t as dominant cleaning the glass in the second half, but its 15 total offensive rebounds were in line with its season average — an elite number.

Sophie Burrows’ 3-point barrage

The Orange have struggled from behind the arc all season, shooting 33.6% from 3, the 100th best in D-I. But they had one of their best games from distance, shooting 41.2% from 3. Burrows was a bright spot, making a career-high three 3-pointers.

After SU missed all four of its 3s in the first quarter, it didn’t attempt another until Burrows made its first shot from behind the arc four minutes into the second quarter. Burrows was silenced until the end of the third, but she made her opportunities count.

Following Fair penetrating to the rim, Burrows was left open in the left corner, nailing the 3 to give SU a 50-41 lead. Two possessions later, after Varejão missed a layup, Alaina Rice pulled down the offensive rebound and dished the ball to Burrows, who made her third triple of the game. Burrows’ 3s helped ignite Syracuse’s 16-0 run throughout the end of the third and the start of the fourth quarter.

Published on December 4, 2023 at 9:18 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon