The result is the same nearly every day after practice when Carmen Tyson-Thomas looks up at the scoreboard.

When the first-unit blue team and second-unit orange team face each other at the end of practice, the result rarely wavers. One team is dominant.

And it isn’t the first unit.

Tyson-Thomas leads an energized second unit that often beats the first unit by double figures.

“We’ve established that the orange team is, what I like to call, the better practice team,” Tyson-Thomas said. “We haven’t lost in about two weeks or three weeks straight.”

Three weeks into the season, head coach Quentin Hillsman’s bench has accounted for 43 percent of the team’s total points and has outscored the starters in three of six games. Syracuse’s (6-0) reserves will look to contribute again when the Orange squares off against Dartmouth (1-3) at 7 p.m. Thursday in Leede Arena in Hanover, N.H.

Hillsman has placed added emphasis on wreaking havoc in the backcourt and forcing turnovers this season. His 1-2-2 press has worked impeccably, as the Orange has forced 24 turnovers per game.

Many teams would struggle to apply such constant, unremitting pressure and avoid getting fatigued. With what he has called an extremely potent and high-energy bench, though, Hillsman doesn’t need to worry about overplaying Kayla Alexander, Elashier Hall and the rest of the starters.

Tyson-Thomas, Rachel Coffey and Pachis Roberts are right there to jump in and provide an instant spark — sometimes even a boost, if the first unit is struggling.

“It’s who’s hot and who’s playing well,” Hillsman said. “The way we play they have to get off their feet. We have to continuously rotate players into the game. A lot of it is out of necessity, because we have to keep pressing and play fast.”

Hillsman said players who have started in the past have bought into the role of coming off the bench, paving the way for freshmen Brittney Sykes, Brianna Butler and Cornelia Fondren to start.

“I think the unselfishness on this team is what’s going to be the biggest difference in us going far in this season,” Hillsman said. “If we’re going to press up and run, we have to play 10 or 11 players every night.”

Hillsman has put together ideal rotations seamlessly so far, mixing and matching different lineups and subbing players in and out frequently.

Short stints on the court are inevitable with such a deep team, yet Hillsman relies heavily on the fact that players buy into the system.

And so far they have.

“I don’t know if orange is ever gonna start, but I know every time we get in the game we turn it up,” Tyson-Thomas said. “We bring that extra energy every time we go on the court in practice, and that’s all we can do in the game.”

In Syracuse’s 80-39 win over St. Joseph’s, the bench exploded for 41 points, outscoring SU’s starters. Tyson-Thomas sparked the Orange, dropping 23 points and snagging 11 rebounds.

The bench hasn’t only been helpful in lopsided games, though. Syracuse faced two formidable Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the San Juan Shootout in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, last weekend. The Orange came away with two wins in extremely close games, thanks in large part to consistent production from the bench.

Against Virginia, 12 players earned minutes for Hillsman. For the Cavaliers, meanwhile, only eight players saw action. Virginia stars Kelsey Wolfe and China Crosby each played more than 32 minutes.

No one played more than 30 minutes for Syracuse, and Hall and Alexander had fresh legs in the final stretch.

“It helps us so much when starters may not be clicking,” Hall said. “We have people that can step in for us.”

That ability to step in during crunch time and play key minutes all starts in practice. Tyson-Thomas said she tries to represent the orange team whenever possible, and she knows which practice team is better.

“It’s just about what team’s going to grind more,” Tyson-Thomas said. “I’m going to represent orange. Our practice team always wins.”

Published on November 28, 2012 at 11:10 pm

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass