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Syracuse had three days to prepare for Thursday’s game, the most rest the Orange have gotten in two weeks. Yet no amount of relaxation can help SU on the road — the Orange were 4-4 in road games coming to Tallahassee, Florida. Earlier this season, head coach Quentin Hillsman said the Orange have tried everything from sleeping in to waking up early before road games, and nothing has worked. 

For the third time this season, the Orange (11-5, 8-5 Atlantic Coast) played at an opponent with a worse record and lost, this time to Florida State.

Here are three takeaways from SU’s 67-52 loss to the Seminoles:

First-quarter slump continues

Last season, Syracuse needed a miracle shot from Emily Engstler with .8 seconds left to defeat the Seminoles 90-89. The inbounds play Hillsman called was drawn up on an Outback Steakhouse napkin years prior. 

Florida State’s team was ranked eighth in the country at the time last year. This year’s team, though, entered the game with slim chances of participating in the Tournament. Yet it was FSU who emerged up 13-10 at the end of the first quarter. 

Syracuse had jumped out to a 9-2 lead, but it didn’t record a field goal for the ensuing eight minutes. The Orange endured a drought of over 10 minutes in their last game against Pittsburgh as well. 

Now, SU has lost the first quarter in SU’s past five games. In five of its past seven contests, the Orange have lost the first half. SU trailed 32-18 after 20 minutes of this one while shooting a putrid 25% from the field.

Syracuse was able to come back in its last road game against Pittsburgh, but FSU wasn’t as forgiving. The Seminoles kept the Orange comfortably behind the entirety of the second half, disallowing Tiana Mangakahia or Kiara Lewis to develop any sort of offensive rhythm. 

Why 3? 

Syracuse’s offense seldom starts without a high-ball screen. When Mangakahia gets free off Kamilla Cardoso’s screen and the two flow downhill with purpose, it leads to points. It’s how Syracuse jumped out to a 6-2 lead. 

And because it strained Florida State’s interior defense so much, the Seminoles left Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi alone in the corner to knock down Syracuse’s first 3-pointer of the game. That would be the only one the Orange would hit until Mangakahia connected with five minutes to play in the third quarter. 

For the remainder of the second half, Syracuse settled for 3-pointers. No cohesive ball movement preceded the shots Lewis fired incessantly. Digna Strautmane took two contested looks from the wing. 

The 3-pointer is Hillsman’s go-to. The coach said via Zoom that it’s all his NBA2K team did during SU’s coronavirus-related pause from December to January. But beyond Priscilla Williams, this team has no video-game-caliber number from long range. Of the three SU players that have taken over 60 3s, one of them is Williams, and the other two shoot below 30%. 

Against the Seminoles, the same held true. Lewis rose her team-high attempted 3-pointers by six to 84 — and missed all but one of them. Strautmane struggled as well, missing each of the two she attempted. As a team, the Orange finished 4-for-23 from deep. 

Broken glass

SU had missed 20 shots but had recorded only five offensive rebounds when just minutes remained in the first half. Despite having the obvious size advantage inside — like it will practically every game this season — Syracuse ultimately lost the rebounding battle 39-33. 

Cardoso and Engstler led with seven, but no one else eclipsed Lewis’ five. If Syracuse is to hold true to this faux identity that it’s a team of 3-point shooters, then its interior presence needs to be stronger on the glass in the event this team doesn’t score. 

Syracuse has thought of itself in the mirror as a top team all season. Engstler has reiterated it in press conferences, and many players believe this team has a legitimate shot at the 2021 national title. 

But the NET rankings, which will ultimately determine this team’s path in the Tournament, had the Orange as a seven seed before they lost a fifth game on the road in Tallahassee. And unlike recent years, Syracuse will not be able to host any NCAA Tournament games. All of them will be in San Antonio, or on the road, where Syracuse just fell to 4-5 this season. 

Published on February 11, 2021 at 10:17 pm

Contact Tim: tnolan@syr.edu