Quentin Hillsman said last week’s practices were spent looking for new ways to get Kayla Alexander the ball.

The Syracuse women’s basketball team was mired in a two-game losing skid, and the fifth-year head coach knew his interior players held the key to turning the streak around. They needed to be more physical and get easy points in the paint rather than relying on jump shooters.

All that work paid off Saturday, as Syracuse went into Marquette and left with a quality road win. Alexander, a sophomore center, led the way with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

‘Kayla can match up with anybody in the country,’ Hillsman said. ‘So we have to do a good job of getting her the ball in the paint and getting her the ball close to the rim.’

Syracuse (14-4, 2-3 Big East) will try to win its second straight game Wednesday, as Pittsburgh (9-9, 1-4 Big East) comes into the Carrier Dome to take on the Orange at 7 p.m. SU has been strong all year on its home court, winning all but one game and defeating then-No. 6 Ohio State. Much of that is due to Alexander’s production early in the year — production she replicated in Saturday’s win.

‘Our physicality came out more in the West Virginia game,’ Alexander said, referring to SU’s nine-point loss to then-No. 6 WVU in the game prior to Saturday’s win. ‘I think that’s the game that we said, ‘OK, we need to be more physical, we need to hand it back out.”

While Alexander struggled through Syracuse’s first four Big East games, one positive that came from those games was the inspired play of her backup, Shakeya Leary. The redshirt freshman is averaging 7.2 rebounds per game in Big East play. And in the Orange’s 25-point win over Seton Hall, Leary matched her career high with 13 points.

Leary only played 10 minutes against the Golden Eagles. But against a big, physical Pittsburgh team, Leary will be counted on to assist Alexander.

‘Having (Leary) out there is great,’ Alexander said. ‘She’s physical, she can do so much with the ball. She can attack you inside the post or a couple steps outside.’

Syracuse’s rotation of three post players — Alexander, Leary and Iasia Hemingway — helped lead the team into the Top 25 earlier in the season. The three have keyed nearly every Orange victory, despite being young.

Early Big East play has proven that without their production — especially without Alexander’s — SU is mediocre. Alexander has been held to single digits in three of Syracuse’s four losses, averaging just seven points per game in those contests.

Compare that to the 16 points per game she averages in Syracuse wins this season, and it’s understandable why Hillsman insisted on spending so much time finding ways to get her the ball last week.

‘She’s a big part of our offense,’ senior guard Erica Morrow said. ‘I know teams are doubling her, teams are being real physical with her down low. But Kayla’s responding well.’

The Orange has outrebounded its opponents by an average of nearly 18 boards per game on the season. But until Saturday, Syracuse wasn’t as dominant on the boards in Big East games. The Orange outrebounded the Golden Eagles by a 41-29 margin, with Alexander and Hemingway both putting up double-doubles.

Wednesday, Syracuse plays a Pittsburgh team that is 1-4 in Big East play this season. But Hillsman said the Panthers will provide a great challenge for SU due to its size as a team. Pitt center Leeza Burdgess is 6-foot-5, one inch taller than Alexander.

It will be a challenge for SU to duplicate its success on the boards against the Panthers.

‘They’re a very tough team, and they have size,’ Hillsman said. ‘This is one of the games where I can honestly say they are bigger than us at every position.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on January 25, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr