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Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack is a defensive coach. She said she was when she wasn’t fully satisfied in mid-November registering 10 steals against Colgate and limiting it to 28.2% from the field. Legette-Jack thinks sometimes the team has a two-headed monster, wanting to score a lot of points and holding teams to under 59. 

And on Friday, Syracuse (5-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) easily held Bucknell’s (2-4, 0-0 Patriot) offense under that mark in a 65-48 victory, holding the Bison to their fourth 50-point performance or below. The Orange created 16 turnovers with seven steals and limited their opponent to just 33.3% from the field and 9.5% from beyond the arc. They also notched five blocks. 

The Bison entered as the lowest-scoring offense in the Patriot League with a middle-of-the-pack field-goal percentage. They never truly tested the Orange, considering the Bison struggle to even get points as it averages just 0.73 points per play, per Her Hoop Stats, which ranks 232nd in Division-I.

Syracuse started abysmally, scoring just two points in the game’s first seven minutes and trailed by as many as eight. But despite the 10-2 first-quarter deficit, that’s as much as the Orange would trail, partly in help to the defensive production. Though early on Bucknell drove and scored some easy layups, Syracuse adjusted as the Bison failed to score in the final three and half minutes of the first quarter.

Kyra Wood played tight defense and forced a Bison turnover at the top of the key as Blake Matthews and Cecilia Collins both recorded turnovers in the quarter. The Orange added the last four points in the period to trail 10-6 entering the second.

But just like the first quarter, Bucknell could only muster another 10 points, missing outside shots that the Orange defense was forcing. Syracuse recognized Bucknell’s scoring success came from inside, so it made the Bison shoot mid-range and 3-pointers. Bucknell started 0-of-8 from deep and finished just 2-of-21 from the 3-point line. From inside, however, the Bison scored half of their 48 points in the paint.

Entering the second half with just an eight-point lead, courtesy of a 20-point first half performance from Fair, the Orange continued to evaporate its lead in the final 30 minutes, despite a somewhat improved Bucknell offense, at least in terms of points. But Syracuse continued to pressure the Bison, trapping them and creating turnovers.

Just over two minutes into the third quarter, Teisha Hyman and Asia Strong trapped Remi Sisselman in the right wing. With nowhere to go, Sisselman — who finished with a poor 0-of-9 from deep — tried to dribble left to escape the trap. 

But as Sisselman crossed over to her left, Hyman poked the ball loose and stole the ball, advancing it forward to Fair. In addition to being the elite scorer, Fair facilitated the fast break, finding Strong down low. With contact and drawing the foul, Strong made the layup and converted the and-one, too, as Fair notched the assist. Syracuse finished with 12 points off the Bucknell turnovers.

Lewis also recorded a pair of blocks in the third quarter, too. She blocked a Matthews mid-range jumper, which allowed the Orange to transition. Lewis grabbed the ensuing rebound, dribbling up the floor, finding Fair who was cutting toward the basket. But with two defenders around her, Fair intelligently dished the ball back to Lewis, who just missed the and-one. And on another play near the baseline, Lewis blocked a Cecilia Collins layup attempt, leaving just 1.1 seconds on the shot clock, which resulted in a missed shot by Bucknell.

Fair and Lewis almost had another similar play in the fourth quarter. After Syracuse intercepted an errant pass by Bucknell inside, the Orange transitioned with Fair leading the offense. Fair approached the free-throw line, knowing she had Lewis a couple steps trailing her. She passed the ball behind her through her legs, which allowed Lewis to drive from the top of the key, but she ultimately missed the layup.

Later, Sisselman was triple-teamed near the free-throw line with the shot-clock winding down. It resulted in a jump ball, where Bucknell regained possession, but it couldn’t do anything. And on another shot attempt, the Orange defense forced an ill-advised heave with the shot-clock expiring the hit nothing but the backboard.

In the fourth quarter, after Fair knocked down a pair of free-throws, she stole the ball on ensuing Bucknell inbound pass by the Syracuse bench, saving it in bounds. This allowed the Orange to move the ball around, eventually finding a wide-open Georgia Woolley on the left wing. Woolley, making her first career start for SU, drained the 3-pointer in her only point contribution of the night.

And in the waning minutes, Caroline Dingler had grabbed a defensive rebound. But again, Syracuse trapped her and as Dingler tried to dribble out of it, she tripped and fell to the ground, resulting in a travel call.

Published on November 25, 2022 at 10:38 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini