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Following a nine-point loss at Notre Dame, Syracuse traveled to Tallahassee, Florida to play Florida State for the second game of its two-game road trip.

The Orange went back-and-forth with the Seminoles, trailing just 67-65 midway through the fourth quarter as Dyaisha Fair drained a 3-pointer. But in the final four minutes, the Orange went silent, coughing up an 11-0 run to FSU to close the game. Syracuse fell 78-65 in a game that could’ve potentially damaged its NCAA Tournament chances.

Syracuse entered its Sunday game against Miami on the First Four Out on ESPN’s Bracketology. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said Syracuse needed to win two of its last three games. Syracuse held the lead throughout, extending it into double digits in the third quarter. The Hurricanes fought back, but Syracuse (17-11, 8-9 Atlantic Coast) managed to withstand Miami (17-10, 10-6 ACC) in a 77-68 win.

Here are some observations from Sunday’s game:

Kennedi Perkins career day

As of late, Kennedi Perkins has seen much more playing time ever since the injuries piled up for Syracuse in its loss to Louisville a few weeks ago. Out of Bolingbrook High School (Illinois), she knew she wanted to play at the Division-I level and at a high major.

In the first half against Miami, she had already secured her career high in points, finishing the afternoon with 13. 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, knocking down a step-back jumper from the free-throw line.

She was also aggressive defensively. Haley 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. Then, Haley was on the fast break and Perkins hustled all the way back, stripping the ball out of her hands and preventing the easy layup. Perkins also deflected an inside pass after Miami penetrated into the lane.

After sitting out most of the third quarter, she returned in the fourth, contributing to the Orange’s break off the press. With possession in the right corner, she dribbled to the top, wrapped around a screen and attacked the lane. She scored the layup and Miami called another timeout, trailing 67-55.

Making the 3-ball

Entering Sunday’s game, Asia Strong had made just 11-pointers, making 26.2% of them. Strong earned her spot back in the starting lineup after she slowly began coming back from a lower-body injury the past couple of weeks. In the first quarter, Strong made three 3-pointers in a variety of different spots.

With the shot clock winding down, Strong possessed the ball at the right wing. Off her dribble with no Hurricane defender pressuring her, Strong pulled up and knocked the 3. Then, she notched one from the right corner and at the top of the key. She missed her next two attempts in the first half.

Syracuse finished 9-of-23 from beyond the arc on Sunday, getting 3s from Georgia Woolley, Alaina Rice and Fair. Fair made a 3 in the transition and Rice was found wide open in the corner after good ball movement in the interior opened her up in her spot.

Forcing the turnovers

In the first half, Miami had 11 turnovers with a mix of travels and great defending by Syracuse. On an inbounds play, Woolley guarded the inbounding player on the baseline. With the five-second count ticking, Hanna Cavinder tried to throw the ball above Woolley, who deflected the pass and started the transition.

Syracuse’s first four points of the second half came by forced turnovers. Woolley stripped the ball as Miami tried to penetrate into the lane. On the ensuing possession, Rice made a layup on the right side. Then, Woolley stole the ball again, but was rewarded with the layup on the other end as Syracuse took a 41-30 lead, forcing a Miami timeout.

On the afternoon, Miami finished with 15 turnovers and Syracuse scored 18 points off of those. Rice blocked Lashae Dwyer’s shot and in transition, she found Fair in the corner for a 3. Then, Dariauna Lewis made a free-throw jumper followed by another Woolley triple. Syracuse extended its lead to 16 midway through the third quarter.

Miami’s full-court press

As the Hurricanes began to fall more and more into a deficit, they started utilizing the full-court press midway through the third quarter. It created some trouble for Syracuse, which turned the ball over a few times. On one play, Strong tried to inbound the ball, but she was called for a five-second violation.

Then, Perkins began to bring up the ball, but she was getting double-teamed. The ball eventually made its way out of bounds in favor of Syracuse, but Miami had almost forced a 10-second violation. Eventually, the Orange figured out a way to advance the ball up the court. Saniaa Wilson scored an and-one in the post.

Published on February 19, 2023 at 3:22 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini