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Syracuse went 12 days without a game after defeating Dartmouth 87-52. Back in action against No. 13 Georgia Tech Thursday, SU didn’t show signs of rust early on, getting out to a 10-1 lead.

But the Orange relinquished their lead in the second quarter. The Yellow Jackets went on a 10-0 run and dominated the second frame, taking a 44-31 lead into halftime.

Georgia Woolley tried to lead the Orange back into contention with a team-high 22 points. However, with SU’s other top scorers struggling to shoot, the Yellow Jackets maintained a double-digit lead for the entire second half.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (6-7, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) 85-68 loss to No. 13 Georgia Tech (15-0, 3-0 ACC):

Early SU runs

Right out of the gate, Syracuse showed it wasn’t scared of No. 13 Georgia Tech. The Orange opened the game on a 10-1 run behind Kyra Wood and Woolley. Wood sparked SU early with a couple buckets before Woolley made her presence felt with six straight points.

Georgia Tech crawled back to cut Syracuse’s lead to 10-7, but Syracuse’s offense picked up momentum again. Out of the under-5 minute timeout, Syracuse continued its paint attack. Izabel Varejão caught the ball on the elbow and spun before hitting a layup, marking four straight points for the Orange and extending their lead to 14-7.

Late in the first quarter, with the game tied for the first time at 14-14, Sophie Burrows felt her defender guarding close. She turned her back to the basket and found Saniaa Wilson for an open deuce. Early on, the Orange’s offense helped them keep pace with the Yellow Jackets. But it wouldn’t last.

Second quarter falters

Just as it had early in the season, Syracuse struggled in the second quarter. From the final seconds of the first quarter to the 6:54 mark of the second, the Yellow Jackets went on a 10-0 scoring run.

The run propelled Georgia Tech to outscore SU 28-15 in the second quarter, putting the Orange down 44-31 heading into halftime.

Tonie Morgan, who had eight points in the second quarter, caused trouble for SU defensively. She ignited the Yellow Jackets by scoring a layup and free throw for their first three points of the quarter. When Woolley scored to end GT’s run, Morgan stung the Orange with three more points.

Down 38-27, Syracuse couldn’t find a solution on offense. SU went two straight possessions with shots early in the shot clock but couldn’t convert. First, Shy Hawkins took her defender on and threw up a turnaround jumper that missed the mark. Then, Woolley shot an off-balance mid-range shot that clanked off the iron.

Georgia Tech outrebounded Syracuse 14-6 in the second quarter, helping it to a 13-point lead at halftime after the score was tied after one quarter.

Large rebound discrepancy

One reason Syracuse didn’t maintain its early lead was because it did not keep Georgia Tech off the boards. SU outshot GT 46%-26% in the first quarter but were tied at 16-16 after 10 minutes.

Midway through the first, second-chance points helped the Yellow Jackets get back into the game. Kara Dunn missed a layup, and GT retained possession. Dunn went up for a shot again and got fouled before hitting two free throws to bring the Yellow Jackets within three points of SU.

In the second quarter, GT scored six second-chance points, and its extra effort continued in the second half. In the third quarter, with Georgia Tech leading 61-45, Kayla Blackshear corralled a rebound on a missed GT triple and got it to Dunn, who converted a second-chance free throw.

Through three quarters, Georgia Tech outrebounded Syracuse 35-27, giving it a comfortable 65-51 lead with 10 minutes left.

SU top scorers struggle

Entering the contest, Keira Scott and Burrows ranked third and fourth in scoring for Syracuse. Each of them scored double digits in three of Syracuse’s last four games.

But against GT, the pair combined for just 9 points on 3-of-16 shooting. Scott made a 3-pointer midway through the second but fell silent for the rest of the game. Burrows was held scoreless through the first three quarters.

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech’s shooters got off to a slow start but found their flow in the second. Behind an 11-for-20 shooting frame, the Yellow Jackets took control heading into halftime.

GT leading scorer Dani Carnegie made two triples in the third, while Scott and Burrows went scoreless in the quarter. By the time Burrows scored her first points of the contest, Georgia Tech led by more than 20. Burrows hit two 3s in the fourth, but her 2-of-11 shooting night did not help SU keep up with the nationally ranked Yellow Jackets.

Published on January 2, 2025 at 9:21 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32