GREENSBORO, N.C. — No. 8-seed Syracuse (16-15, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 1-seed Louisville (28-3, 16-2), 71-46, in the ACC tournament quarterfinals on Friday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum. The loss erases the Orange’s hopes at an NCAA tournament bid, ending a seven-year streak in which head coach Quentin Hillsman has led SU to the big dance. 

Lockdown Louisville

The biggest factor in Syracuse’s blowout loss was Louisville’s stifling defense. The Cardinals held the Orange to 5-for-29 shooting (1-for-10 3PM) and just 13 points in the first half, SU’s lowest-scoring half since 2012 — as far as the team’s site game-by-game records go. Louisville was particularly effective in limiting Syracuse perimeter players Kiara Lewis, Gabrielle Cooper and Digna Strautmane. The trio combined to shoot 10-for-43 (23.2%).

The Cardinals didn’t dominate by cutting off passing lanes or blocking shots. Rather, it was tenacious defense and communication that created so many problems for Syracuse. They didn’t allow Lewis to drive and kick at all, and when she did, she was closed down immediately. Whenever a screen was set for Lewis, Lousiville’s defenders switched, often pitting the Cardinals’ forwards on the 5-foot-6 SU guard. Lewis was rarely able to get into the paint, the area of the court she has been so effective this season.

The class of the ACC

Not only did Louisville prove its prominence as the top seed of the ACC tournament, but ACC player of the year Dana Evans finally shined against the Orange. In two games against SU during the regular season, Evans averaged 11 points and shot a combined 7-for-34, well below her season average of 17.9 points per game.

On Friday, Evans orchestrated Lousiville’s offense and torched SU from deep. The junior dropped 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting. Her two 3-pointers in the opening three minutes of the second half further buried Syracuse and its comeback hopes. Whenever SU employed its full-court press, Evans was poised with the ball, either sending pinpoint cross-court passes or dashing past players to get into the frontcourt. The Orange forced her into five turnovers in the Feb. 9 meeting, something she did just twice on Friday.

It wasn’t just Evans that showed up. Jazmine Jones, Bionca Dunham and Kylee Shook combined for 30 points and 4-for-7 shooting from behind the arc. Jones added 10 rebounds and four assists while the 6-foot-4 Shook blocked three shots.

A new look

In the final minutes of the third quarter, Hillsman inserted a never-before-seen small lineup into the game. First, it was Lewis, Cooper, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, Elemy Colomé and Taleah Washington, a lineup that sparked a 6-0 run to close out the quarter and bring the Orange within 20 points. In an afternoon in which SU had little to cheer about, the performance by the lineup was inspiring.

Hillsman continued to experiment with the lineup in the fourth quarter, including putting Strautmane at center for Djaldi-Tabdi and giving graduate transfer Brooke Alexander her first minutes of the game. Washington and Lewis led a 9-3 Syracuse run to open the fourth quarter, and the Orange were outscored by just two in the period. The small lineup also accounted for four of SU’s five made 3-pointers on the afternoon.

 

Published on March 6, 2020 at 4:31 pm

Contact David: ddschnei@syr.edu