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Less than two minutes left in the first half, Alaina Rice collected a defensive rebound to begin SU’s transition offense. She saw a streaking Dyaisha Fair and launched a long pass in stride for Fair to make an easy layup. On the next play, Fair scored on another transition play to give SU a 37-26 lead. Both plays were in the middle of a 9-0 run to close the first half.

To compensate for poor mid-range and outside shooting, Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) dominated on both the defensive and offensive glass to defeat Stony Brook (0-1, 0-0 Colonial Athletic) 79-56, marking head coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s first win in charge of Syracuse. SU relied on dominance on the glass, transition scoring and inside play to get past the Seawolves

“If you don’t rebound, (there’s a) hard chance for you to win the game,” Dariauna Lewis said.

The Orange immediately controlled the offensive glass, collecting five offensive rebounds in the first five minutes of play. After Teisha Hyman missed a floater and follow-up layup in the paint, Asia Strong collected the second offensive board of the possession and scored a layup on the left side for SU’s first points of the season. 

Lewis played the most minutes out of any front-court players, finishing with 15 points and 16 rebounds — half were offensive. Forward Olivia Owens was not with the team because of “team rules,” an SU spokesperson said before the game. 

With a minute remaining in the first, Asia Strong had her mid-range jumper tipped, but Rice grabbed the rebound over a Seawolves defender and drew a foul on the putback. She knocked down both free throws to cut SU’s deficit to 19-17. It was the rebounding that made the difference. At one point midway through the second quarter, Syracuse had 13 offensive boards while Stony Brook had just 13 defensive.

“I work with a lot of post players that can really rebound the ball,” Legette Jack said. “There’s never close to a person that can rebound like Dariauna Lewis. It’s just magical to see how she pursues rebounds.”

The Orange went 14-45 from the field (31.5% in the first half), but notched 33 rebounds — 16 of which were offensive — to create and extend possessions. By the end, Syracuse improved, finishing 39% from the field, though still struggling from deep (4-of-21). 

Similarly, the Seawolves struggled from 3, making one of just 16 attempts. Instead, they elected to go in the paint, where Stony Brook accumulated 14 of its 19 first-quarter points. After a missed 3-pointer by Anastasia Warren on the left wing, Shamarla King grabbed the rebound, getting an easy 2 in the paint. But the Seawolves couldn’t replicate their first quarter performance, only scoring seven points in the second quarter and trailing by 13 at half. 

On one play, Georgia Woolley won a loose ball near half court. Woolley dumped it off to Fair, who dribbled momentarily and made a 3-pointer from the right wing. Fair finished the first half with 12 points, playing all of the first half. Woolley also hit a 3-pointer of her own from the left corner, just one of four 3-pointers the Orange had all night

Early in the second half, both teams still limited their outside shooting. Stony Brook cut its 13-point halftime deficit to seven within four minutes into the third quarter. For Syracuse, Hyman received a pass on the left wing. She was wide-open for a 3, but elected to drive in the lane, scoring a much more high-percentage shot. Syracuse finished with 42 points in the paint on the night. 

Syracuse retook a double-digit lead following a Strong baseline jump shot and a Hyman fast-break layup, which followed a Gigi Gonzalez turnover at half court. To go up 54-38, Fair stole the ball from Kelis Corley and went coast-to-coast for a breakaway layup. In transition, Syracuse finished with 19 fast-break points. 

“We can go as fast as you want as long as we can defend,” Legette-Jack said. “I think our pace can be faster, but we just got to recover defensively.”

In the third quarter, Syracuse heavily improved, knocking down 52.9% of its field goals in the period and totaling 21 points. In the post, Saniaa Wilson worked against her defender in the paint before turning and laying it softly off the glass and into the bucket. Woolley drove from the right side as the shot-clock expired, scoring a layup. The Orange strayed away from 3-point shots in the period, taking just one.

They still dominated the glass in the second half. After Stony Brook slowly trickled back to cut the deficit back to single-digits, Wilson and Lewis both corralled offensive rebounds to extend the possession. It culminated in another Woolley three, extending the lead back to 12 with six minutes to play. 

“I feel like rebounding is an essential part of the game,” Lewis said. “That’s what I came here to do. I came here to rebound. My guards need me to keep rebounding so they can keep shooting.”

Stony Brook couldn’t linger around for much longer, conceding a 14-0 run from SU and trailing by as many as 25 in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Lewis drove along the baseline and scored. On another play in the run, Hyman secured her sixth steal and dished it to Fair who scored another fast break layup. Ultimately, Syracuse’s presence on the glass, transition offense and ability to score in the paint proved too much for Stony Brook. 

“If you pursue rebounds like this, it gives us opportunities (for) not one shot, (not) two shots, but three shots in a single possession,” Legette-Jack said. “Our other bigs are trying again after it as well.”

Published on November 7, 2022 at 6:01 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini