Women's Basketball

Observations from Syracuse’s 79-60 win over Morgan State

Anya Wijeweera | Photo Editor

Christianna Carr contributed 14 total rebounds, 10 of them on defense.

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Syracuse fell flat in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame even though the Orange felt they had gained valuable experience with one another in the fast chemistry-building process they were forced into at the start of practices. A team consisting of mostly transfers quickly went from playing laser tag to going against a premier Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in the Fighting Irish.

But the Orange faced Morgan State (0-4) on Wednesday and finished (2-1, 0-1 ACC) with their second easy victory of the season, 79-60. They stepped up their defensive prowess and watched as Teisha Hyman dropped 23 points.

Here are observations from Syracuse’s second nonconference win of the season:

Full-court press

Acting head coach Vonn Read said before the game that the team was unable to sustain the turnover success it found in the first half against Notre Dame. SU relies on speed to overwhelm teams in transition and a high press to offset its lack of defensive prowess. But as the Fighting Irish’s shots continued to rain down, both aspects of Syracuse’s game became obsolete.



SU ensured that it kept the Bears far enough at bay in the first quarter to continue applying the pressure it wanted against the Irish. After a 3 from Hyman gave the Orange a 15-point lead, she stayed between the free-throw line and the 3-point arc. Then, when Morgan State’s Emily Jones attempted a pass across midcourt, Hyman nabbed the ball out of the air, ending the sequence with a free throw.

Back to dominating the boards

Read said before the game that Alaysia Styles was Syracuse’s main option at center, with Eboni Walker and Christianna Carr slotting in when needed. Midway through the first quarter, Styles bodied her defender and brought down another rebound — one of four offensive boards in the opening 10 minutes. She took advantage of the opportunity, dishing back to Najé Murray, who set herself and buried a wide-open 3.

Many of the rebounds Syracuse collected throughout the first half led to transition points. On two straight plays toward the end of the half, Walker grabbed the ball and fired a cross-court outlet pass to one of the guards wide-open under SU’s basket. Hyman or Chrislyn Carr stayed at the top of the key while Walker and Styles battled Morgan State’s forwards for the rebound. Then they’d use their quickness to find open space, eventually doubling up the Bears.

More steals

Syracuse wants to create turnovers against opponents, and it’s an aspect of the team’s game that lends itself to the fast-paced style SU has to play. The team forced 15 turnovers in the first half on Sunday but eased up on that approach en route to a blowout win. But the Orange replicated some of the defensive success they found against Monmouth, ending with 16 steals to stifle any comeback Morgan State attempted to stage.

Hyman notched her third steal of the game in the third quarter, following it up with a field goal. With five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the game well out of hand, Jayla Thornton became the seventh Syracuse player to record a steal.

Streaky play returns

Read brushed off the long scoring droughts that plagued Syracuse in its loss against Notre Dame, but he also acknowledged the Orange were “right there” with the Irish before being outscored 25-7 in the final quarter.

Wednesday started without SU scoring for the first three minutes. Murray pulled up from deep for the first shot of the game like she did on Sunday, but this time it hardly graced the front of the net, a sign of the lack of offense to come until the seven-minute mark. Chrislyn banged in an uncontested 3 off a rebound from Styles, breaking the streak and leading to a 53% first-quarter shooting percentage.

But after building a sizable lead against Morgan State in the first quarter, Syracuse faltered again in the second quarter. It finished the second 10 minutes shooting just over 20% and connected on only 1-of-7 attempts from deep. A second made free throw from Christianna with just under seven minutes remaining in the second quarter kicked off a period that only saw Styles cash in on a layup with two and a half minutes left.

The offense runs through Teisha Hyman

Hyman is one of three returning players for Syracuse, and Read and Hyman’s new teammates have expressed their excitement for her return. In the first half, Hyman scored half of Syracuse’s points, nailing her only 3-pointer, all four free throws and going 6-for-10 from the field. Hyman has solidified herself as a shooting guard in the starting lineup alongside Murray. With Murray off her game from deep, Hyman stepped into the spotlight for the Orange.

Midway through the second quarter, Hyman passed over to Alaina Rice and stood still on the left side of the 3-point arc. She watched as Rice drew her defender away from her, then called for the ball and proceeded to bury the wide-open attempt from deep. Hyman ended the night with 23 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Christianna Carr’s transition to center continues

Kansas State, Christianna’s previous school, listed her as a guard, but for Syracuse, she’s become a Swiss Army knife. Read said she can play possessions at center and both forward positions, but against Morgan State, she found herself under the basket more than in the two previous games. She had a rocky start, but as the game progressed she became a defensive weapon for the Orange, contributing 15 rebounds — 11 of which came on defense.

Despite playing more of a power forward position in SU’s starting lineup, she provided a presence under the basket to complement Styles and Walker. In the third quarter, she showed that she can bat a pass away inside the 3-point line and become the spark plug to an outlet pass. Later in the third quarter, she kept her head up while driving during one possession, and when she saw no clear path to a layup, passed out to Murray for another 3.

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