Women's Basketball

Syracuse breaks inside paint in 97-91 upset of No. 18 Ohio State

Meghan Hendricks | Asst. Photo Editor

Syracuse defeated No. 18 Ohio State, 97-91, its first defeat over a ranked opponent this season.

Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

During a stretch to end the third quarter, Syracuse played its first complete game of the season. The Orange hung with No. 18 Ohio State for much of the game, something it hadn’t done in marquee games against Notre Dame and USF. But then Christianna Carr pulled up from mid-range and got the Orange back on track following a 10-second violation. She followed that up with a catch-and-shoot 3, pumping her right fist in excitement following the shot.

That began a shootout between the Buckeyes and the Orange in which SU flexed muscles it hadn’t all year, while continuing to flourish in areas of the game they’ve used to beat three of its opponents. Najé Murray, Teisha Hyman and Chrislyn Carr hit back to back to back 3-pointers in a dynamic trio that led the Orange.

Then, out of an Ohio State timeout, Alaina Rice watched as she was boxed out for another rebound. In past games, Ohio State would have ended Syracuse’s possession there. But Rice quickly snapped her right arm around and batted the ball away, leading to a contested layup and a seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter for SU.

“We could’ve folded right there, just that adversity, not knowing if you can fight through it,” Read said. “Our ladies showed so much character, pulling together.”



Then Syracuse proceeded to beat its first ranked team as a unit. Syracuse was no stranger to beating ranked teams last year, but this win meant the first ranked win of the season for Read, and the first for seven transfer players in the Carrier Dome when the Orange (4-4, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) stumped No. 18 Ohio State (5-1) 97-91.
“They won other places, but to win together, it’s a little bit different,” Read said.

The Orange “don’t have depth at the post position,” and now that Priscilla Williams is redshirting this season following an announcement on her Instagram Wednesday morning, Syracuse is going to have to stick with its five-out offensive approach. Hyman proved that she could step up, once again, and take over the all-purpose role she’s showcased in prior wins.

Hyman, despite being an “aggressive” player that likes to drive when given space, controlled all facets of SU’s offense, knocking down quick looks from deep, then bodying Ohio State defenders down low.

In the early stages of Wednesday night’s game, Syracuse attempted to drive and penetrate the Buckeye defense. But OSU stood tall and forced Chrislyn and Hyman to fade away to the right on two consecutive possessions, leading to poorly-taken, off-balance shots. Those off-balanced shots quickly turned into makes, quick catch-and-shoot attempts that hardly rattled the rim as they smoothly fell through the net.

Unlike its up-and-down success from deep, Syracuse tends to shoot around 45%, with the exception of a horrific 28.6% against Notre Dame. A catch-and-shoot from Murray off an inbound pass slid away from the net. A contested layup off a turnover by Chrislyn clanked out. All the while, Ohio State was cashing in on open opportunities and fast-break layups.

However, small cracks in OSU’s defense began to show as the first quarter played out. By the time Hyman drove to her right, switched the ball to her left hand and lifted up a shot to give the Orange a one-point lead five minutes into the second quarter, Syracuse had opened the dam and poured into the paint.

“The game of basketball is just runs,” Murray said. “We had to respond to a run like that”

As the first half concluded, Syracuse almost completely trended away from the long ball. Murray buried one from the right corner to stop a small run by the Buckeyes, but Syracuse wanted — for the first time this season — to show what it could do when it managed to maneuver in the paint.

Read said the team isn’t posting up, rather attacking and trying to get as close to the basket as possible before taking a shot. When players like Chrislyn drove, they ended up one-on-one with their defenders because Ohio State wanted to continue to respect SU’s ability to kick out. That boded well for the Orange, and led to 23 fourth-quarter points for Chrislyn after entering the final frame with just one made free throw.

Read’s biggest fear going into the game was Styles falling into foul trouble, which she did when she collected her fourth foul in the middle of the third quarter. Read said he probably should have spaced her outside more, but Christianna Carr ended up having to play the “5” position in Syracuse’s schemes.

“They tried to attack us inside,” Read said. “Our girls have been fighting inside.”

Out of the second half, Syracuse continued to drill through the Buckeyes defense down low. Hyman collected a handoff pass from Chrislyn near Syracuse’s bench. She looked up to find a lane, one that was blocked by her defender. She forced her way into the Buckeye’s body and got a contested bank shot from mid-range to fall and give SU a three-point lead.

Syracuse ended the first quarter with six turnovers. Read has consistently harped on turnovers as something the Orange need to cut down on — especially against better teams like Ohio State. It was that sloppy play, especially by Murray and her three turnovers, that kept Syracuse away from storming back into the lead until it did in the second quarter.

With three minutes remaining in the second half, Hyman stood outside the arc. Then, she bolted for the basket, crossing around her defender to the right edge of the paint. Off one foot, she floated the ball over her defender, and watched as it curled around the rim and fell in to give SU a 14 point lead.

“We were just sick of losing, it was time to figure it out. And we did,” Murray said.

membership_button_new-10





Top Stories