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Syracuse has floundered mightily to start its 18-game Atlantic Coast Conference slate. Following a season where it finished 13-5 in conference play, SU’s done a complete 180, starting 0-3 in ACC games this year.

Most recently, the Orange exited a two-game road trip with little to hang their hats on. First, SU was destroyed by then-No. 13 Georgia Tech 85-68. Despite being tied at the end of the first quarter, GT’s paint dominance proved too much to handle.

Three days later, Syracuse was given another tall task, facing Florida State and NCAA’s leading scorer Ta’Niya Latson. This time, Kyra Wood’s absence, along with a banged up Georgia Woolley — who shot 2-for-16 — hindered the Orange, leading to an 85-73 loss.

Thursday’s game against SMU — which entered 1-2 in ACC play — gave SU a chance to finally snag a conference victory. Despite a disastrous first quarter, Syracuse only trailed by one at half. In the second half, Izabel Varejão and Journey Thompson dominated, but it wasn’t enough to give SU the victory in overtime.

Here are some more observations from Syracuse’s (6-9, 0-4 ACC) 72-71 loss to SMU (10-6, 2-2 ACC):

1st-quarter miscues

Syracuse had one of its worst offensive quarters of the season in the first quarter against SMU. It only scored 10 points and shot 23.1% from the field.

First, Varejão missed a mid-range floater, followed by a Woolley misfired layup. Then, Sophie Burrows followed by whiffing on a triple. In response, SMU embarked on an 11-4 lead after Woolley and Journey Thompson missed consecutive shots.

Woolley accumulated two fouls across the quarter and was forced onto the bench. At one point, SU’s top three scorers, Woolley, Burrows and Wood, all sat on the bench, allowing SMU to pull ahead.

The Orange were behind the entire first quarter, as the Mustangs took a 16-10 advantage into the second. However, Syracuse bounced back, outscoring SMU 21-16 in the second quarter to cut its deficit to 32-31 at halftime.

Adjusting to Wood’s absence

Wood, SU’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, has dealt with injuries for most of the last month. She missed SU’s contest against the Seminoles because she was in concussion protocol. So, Syracuse opted for a bigger lineup, inserting Saniaa Wilson and Varejão in her place. But the duo only combined for 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The senior was again out against SMU, with Thompson starting alongside Varejão. Early on, it was clear the Mustangs had the advantage inside. They consistently overpowered SU without Wood. To start, SMU hit two shots in the paint. With five minutes left in the first, TK Pitts dribbled into the paint and pushed past Wilson for a layup.

But at the beginning of the second quarter, the duo got going. Varejão converted a layup, then dished to Thompson to cut SMU’s lead to 16-14. The pair helped Syracuse lead 20-15 in rebounding at halftime, combining for eight points and five boards.

In the second half, Thompson and Varejão continued their dominance, pushing their totals to 13 and 15 points, respectively. The rebound battle remained close, with SU narrowly having the edge 45-44.

Woolley’s struggles continue

Woolley is easily Syracuse’s best scorer, entering the matchup with the Mustangs averaging 14.9 points. But against Florida State, she was off her game. According to head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, the senior was not fully healthy against the Seminoles, and it showed in her 12.5% field goal percentage and nine turnovers.

Despite playing a less potent opponent in SMU, Woolley still struggled. She drilled a shot from the free throw line for SU’s first points of the game. But after making two free throws, Woolley drew two fouls just four minutes in, putting her on the bench.

Woolley re-entered the game halfway through the second, and drained a deep triple from the right wing. Yet she only made two first-half shots, amounting to nine points.

Her miscues continued in the second, as she badly missed a left wing triple just a minute in. Then, Woolley traveled on two straight opportunities late in the third. She also didn’t attempt another shot until 1:36 remaining in the third, a mid-range misfire. SU’s leading scorer only notched five points in the second half, shooting 31.3% overall.

Failing to stop Robertson

SMU only has one player averaging over 12 points per game — junior guard Nya Robertson. The Fort Worth, Texas, native entered the contest scoring 20.3 points on average, while shooting 35.4% from the field.

With the Mustangs having no other marquee scorers, bottling up Robertson seemed like the way to beat them. Just a minute in, Robertson drilled a mid-range floater to put SMU up 4-0. But Syracuse erased SMU’s leading scorer for the rest of the quarter. And with the Mustangs’ second-leading scorer, Chantae Embry, out with a knee injury, this allowed SU to stay in the game.

But then, Robertson began accumulating points. First, she drilled two field goals midway through the second. She then drained two deep triples late in the quarter, propelling her to 12 points at the half.

In the back half, she immediately got on the board via a layup. Despite going four minutes without another make, she converted two floaters to help tie the game at 44 with three minutes remaining in the third. Robertson ended with 28 points, including two crucial makes in overtime, proving pivotal in the close contest.

SU stalls in overtime

After the two squads were tied 64-64 at the end of regulation, Syracuse entered its first overtime game of the season. Varejão and Woolley both missed shots to start overtime, but SMU’s Jessica Peterson sank a layup for an early 66-64 lead.

Both teams failed to make their next few shots, but Woolley responded with her 1000th Syracuse point to tie the game at 66-66 a minute later. Then, after Peterson again put SMU ahead 68-66, Woolley tied the contest again with a mid-range jumper.

Then, Syracuse was handed a lucky break after Thompson fouled Pitts, who missed both attempts from the line. Burrows then gave SU a one-point lead via 1-of-2 free throws.

However, Robertson took over, putting the Mustangs in front 70-69 with a driving layup. Varejão then drilled a second-chance floater, putting SU ahead 71-70 with 16 seconds remaining. But it was Robertson who got the last laugh. SMU’s leading scorer drove to the basket and converted a sprawling floater, putting the Mustangs up for good.

Published on January 9, 2025 at 1:19 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99