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Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack calls Kennedi Perkins a “stabilizer.”

Perkins is there to control the offense and serves as a key rotational player off the bench. As of late, she has seen much more playing time ever since the injuries piled up in the loss to Louisville a few weeks ago. She’s played double-digit minutes in five out of the last seven games, putting up a career-high of 13 points against Miami and shooting 6-of-7 from the field. She was one of five double digit scorers for the Orange that lifted them over the Hurricanes in a crucial game for their NCAA Tournament chances.

“It shows that (Legette-Jack) believes in me, so there’s no reason for me not to believe in myself,” Perkins said of her increased playing time.

In the first half alone, Perkins had already secured her career high. She scored from all over, converting from deep, in the paint and when driving into the lane. On one play, she matched up with Haley Cavinder. Isolating her on the right wing, Perkins drove, absorbed contact and finished the contested layup. She made a similar play from the left wing, penetrating right toward the free-throw line. To create space, she stepped back and hit a jumper right over her defender.

On another play, Miami failed to close Perkins. She could’ve easily taken two steps back for a 3 or driven to the lane, but instead she took a couple dribbles and pulled up from midrange, the best look at that moment.

Though she didn’t lead the team in scoring, she developed herself into an elite scorer at Bolingbrook High School, leading the program in scoring for the three years she was there. She became an All-State first-team selection each of those three years, too. Out of high school, she knew she wanted to play at the Division-I level and at a high major and settled at Syracuse after trying out for the team last May.

On Sunday, Syracuse enjoyed a 40% night from beyond the arc, relying on perimeter shooters like Alaina Rice, Dyaisha Fair and Georgia Woolley. Perkins added one of her own, too. Woolley had the ball in the corner, seeing Perkins wide open at the top of the key. Woolley dished it off and Perkins converted with the shot clock winding down. The 3 was her third all season, draining the other two against Pittsburgh and Louisville earlier in the season. Her lone missed field goal was an airballed 3 from the right wing.

She was also aggressive defensively. Cavinder lost possession just past half-court after Fair and Perkins forced a turnover. Perkins grabbed it and heaved the ball up court to Fair for the easy layup.

In the first half, Perkins had her pass picked off. Both teams weren’t clean with the ball, each garnering 15 turnovers on the evening. Cavinder was on the fast break and had a clear path to the basket. But Perkins was hustling and trailing from behind. She stripped the ball out of her hands and prevented the easy layup.

“Coach Jack just told me to go out there and play my game,” Perkins said. “They were giving me the lane, so I did what I needed to do to score.”

Many teams exploit the Syracuse offense by driving down into the lane before another defender helps out. But that occasionally leaves another player open underneath. On a Miami possession, she deflected that pass out of bounds, again preventing another bucket inside the paint.

She only played 17 minutes on Sunday, sitting out most of the third quarter. She returned in the fourth, contributing to the Orange’s press break. As Miami’s deficit began to grow more and more, the Hurricanes utilized the press. Initially, the Orange struggled to break it, turning the ball over a few times. Perkins almost coughed up the ball on one play.

Her most crucial bucket came in the fourth quarter. Miami had cut its deficit back into single digits and had some momentum in its favor. But Perkins reversed it, forcing the Hurricanes to call a timeout. With possession in the right corner, she dribbled to the top, wrapping around a screen and attacked the lane. Miami miscommunicated and left the paint wide open. Perkins scored the layup, and Miami called another timeout, trailing 67-55.

“Being a freshman and getting minutes and having my coach trust me to run the offense for us, it means a lot to me,” Perkins said. “It definitely boosts my confidence.”

Published on February 19, 2023 at 6:09 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini