Kayla Alexander and Iasia Hemingway were beating Providence. A pair of free throws by Alexander gave the duo a three-point cushion over the Friars with 5:34 remaining in the first half.

The score: Alexander and Hemingway 18, Providence 15.

‘We just want to keep giving them opportunities,’ Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said. ‘I think if you keep giving them opportunities and they get clean catches, that they will do a very good job of scoring for us.’

The combination of Alexander and Hemingway worked flawlessly Saturday, just like it has in each game of the Orange’s current five-game win streak.

SU’s two interior players owned the first half of Saturday’s 63-47 win over Providence by scoring their team’s first 18 points of the game. The high-low attack that has become the staple of Hillsman’s offensive game plan was in perfect form during the team’s final home game of the regular season. Alexander and Hemingway combined for 32 of the Orange’s points as 1,034 watched this tandem almost singlehandedly bring down Providence (12-15, 5-10 Big East).

The pair of post players made their presence felt from the outset. The team’s second possession saw both Alexander and Hemingway collect offensive rebounds before the former converted a layup to put Syracuse (21-7, 9-6 Big East) on the board.

The next Orange basket came a little more than a minute later, when Hemingway caught a quick inbounds pass from Tasha Harris and converted an easy layup.

Those four points foreshadowed the theme of what became a two-man offensive game.

‘We did an awesome job throwing the ball inside,’ Hillsman said. ‘(The guards have) been very unselfish throwing the ball to Iasia in the high post. And Iasia’s been very unselfish turning around and looking for Kayla.’

Though the plan of getting the ball to Hemingway and Alexander was simple enough, Syracuse found different ways to do so to kept the Friars off balance.

One possession featured the high-low pass from Hemingway at the free-throw line to Alexander in the paint for an easy layup. The next opportunity was a fast break during which either player ran right to the rim, eyes looking back to the SU guards to receive a pass.

The latter is something Syracuse point guard Erica Morrow said runs through the mind of all the Orange’s guards.

‘When we work on our transition offense, our first look is up the floor,’ Morrow said. ‘We try to emphasize running our lanes and the four or five running to the basket and getting early position. That’s one of the toughest places to guard in transition.’

The Friars’ lack of size only compounded their woes defensively. Providence didn’t have a true center on the floor to start the game, and Alexander and Hemingway lit up the middle for 30 points in the paint by the time the final whistle sounded.

Head coach Phil Seymore attributed his team’s struggles to a lack of depth at the frontcourt position and the absence of quality reserves off the bench.

‘We don’t have a lot of depth there and some inexperience,’ Seymore said. ‘Whenever that happens, we might be stopping them for a little while, but after a while it starts to work for them.’

It worked to the tune of 51 percent of Syracuse’s total points.

Eventually, though, the rest of the Orange chipped in. Erica Morrow and Carmen Tyson-Thomas each added eight, but only Alexander and Hemingway logged double-digit performances.

The lack of production from his guards doesn’t concern Hillsman, however. The trio of Morrow, Harris and Elashier Hall combined for only 15 points, but they tallied 12 total assists and committed only two turnovers among them.

That 6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is what allows Hemingway (14 points) and Alexander (18 points) to be so successful, Hillsman said. The post players can’t thrive unless they receive good entry passes.

And Saturday, they got them. The bulk of Alexander’s points required her to do nothing more than catch and throw up an easy layup or soft hook shot. The passes and her positioning did the rest.

‘When you look at Kayla, she’s not one that’s screaming and begging for the ball,’ Hillsman said. ‘But it seems like they’re doing the screaming and begging for her by saying, ‘You’re going to take it, you’re going to shoot it.’

‘They’re doing a very good job of saying whether you want it or not, we’re throwing it to you.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on February 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13