Kayla Alexander extended her arms in front of St. Francis center Hope Phillips, using her length to strip Phillips of any chances of blocking a shot. Phillips couldn’t force her way past Alexander, and could only sit back and become a non-factor as a defender in the low post.

After a lackluster first half in Syracuse’s previous game against Long Beach State, Alexander started her game against the Red Flash with an increased focus on aggression.

‘Definitely, I was trying to be more aggressive compared to the start of the last game,’ Alexander said. ‘And I think I turned it around this game.’

Alexander scored a team-high 22 points in the Orange’s 88-45 rout of St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday night in the Carrier Dome, and was a dominant force in the low post for SU. As a team, Syracuse (2-0) scored 40 points in the paint, while the Red Flash (0-3) managed just six down low. It was a one-sided aspect of the game that the Orange won handily. St. Francis paid extra attention to Syracuse’s shooters around the perimeter, consistently leaving Alexander with plenty of room to operate down low.

Aside from her 22 points, Alexander also stepped up her performance on the defensive end of the floor. She had six rebounds and also notched one block in 20 minutes of action. For much of the game, the ball never reached her defensive spot on the floor. The Red Flash barely ever took a chance on feeding the ball inside, as starting center Alli Williams and Phillips managed only eight points each.

Against Long Beach State, Alexander’s passive performance early in the game allowed the 49ers to establish a strong offensive presence in the low post. When the game was over, Alexander expressed disappointment about her play in the first half, but satisfaction with her second half.

On Friday against St. Francis, Alexander didn’t show any disappointment.

Her strong performance came on a night when the Red Flash defended the Orange’s guards around the outside, leaving Alexander open for easy buckets.

‘It makes it a lot easier, because then I have more space to work with and to attack the basket,’ Alexander said. ‘When our guards are being pressured, it makes it a little easier in the paint.’

And she proved that about midway through the first half to help Syracuse gain a 17-point lead. After missing a jumper, Alexander grabbed the offensive board and then made a put-back layup to make the score 27-10.

For a team that’s always placed an emphasis on rebounding, guard Elashier Hall said having Alexander perform as she did is particularly important.

‘That’s what we’ve always been doing,’ Hall said. ‘We’ve always been No. 1 in rebounding, so we have a standard for ourselves to get it done.’

She also managed to draw five fouls in the game, resulting in eight points from the line. Later on in the first half, Alexander had a two-plus minute span where she scored a total of nine points, with five coming on free throws.

During the Orange’s preseason and again after its season opener last week, SU head coach Quentin Hillsman emphasized the importance of finding Alexander down low. He said several times that he wants his team to focus on scoring inside, especially on high-lows with forward Iasia Hemingway and Alexander.

Hillsman said he was pleased with Alexander’s ability to get in position quickly to provide a strong presence to receive her teammate’s passes, albeit while not having to scream to call for the ball.

It was his preseason emphasis executed perfectly.

‘I think we did an excellent job of getting it to her,’ Hillsman said. ‘…She’s not very vocal. But when she gets in position, she doesn’t say anything. I think it’s really good that we’re getting her the ball.

‘I thought she did an excellent job of getting in position and making their passes easy.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on November 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman