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Prior to Sunday, Syracuse hadn’t lost a nonconference game at home in five years.

The last time that happened was on Nov. 24, 2019, when the Orange fell to then-No. 1 Oregon 81-64 after a 36-15 run in the third quarter stifled their winning chances.

Against Saint Joseph’s Sunday, it was the same story. Throughout the contest, the Hawks relied on their dribble penetration and 3-point shooting. It allowed SJU to extend its lead to 14 after an 11-point third-quarter advantage, similar to SU’s game against the Ducks five years ago.

Syracuse (1-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) was dismantled by Saint Joseph’s (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10) 84-70 Sunday, backed by the Hawks’ big second half. Saint Joseph’s offense was defined by their 3-point shooting, going 14-of-26 on triples. SU also failed to stop Talya Brugler and Mackenzie Smith, who totaled 29 and 25 points, respectively.

“Twenty-seven wins in a row. That’s pretty incredible,” Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “It’s disappointing that we didn’t give our best effort and, to keep it real, the best team won tonight.”

The Orange started out on the right foot, quickly going up 4-0. First, Izabel Varejão made a mid-range jumper in the paint. Then, after Saint Joseph’s turned the ball over, Varejão dished the ball to Georgia Woolley for a contested layup.

But on the heels of SU’s run, Saint Joseph’s went on one of its own. Following blocks by Emma Boslet and Smith, Brugler sank a 3 from the left side of the court, capping off the Hawks’ 7-2 run.

Syracuse bounced back immediately, as Sophie Burrows hit back-to-back triples off of steals by Angelica Velez. After a timeout, the Orange padded their lead. Kyra Wood kissed two layups off the glass, and Keira Scott sank a floater to make it 18-9 with one minute to play in the first quarter.

In the final minute of the quarter, both teams traded buckets. First, Smith hit a long triple for the Hawks. Next, Varejão missed a layup, but snagged the rebound and made the second attempt. The Orange led 22-14, and looked poised to keep tacking on.

But the second quarter was dominated by Brugler. After SU turned the ball over three times, Saint Joseph’s embarked on an 8-0 run, with Brugler scoring all of the points. First, the senior drilled a triple after an offensive board by Laura Ziegler. Then, following a missed 3 from Woolley, Brugler drove to the basket and added two more.

Legette-Jack noticed that whenever the Hawks drove, Brugler was positioned at the top of the key. She wanted her players to press the senior, since she wasn’t a great passer. However, this didn’t happen.

Brugler made her second 3-pointer in as many minutes, tying the score 22-22, prompting a timeout from Syracuse.

“We kept sharing that with them, that we needed both people to fly out,” Legette-Jack said.

It took SU until the halfway point of the second quarter to get its first points of the frame, with Shy Hawkins converting off an inbounds pass from Velez. Still, Syracuse surrendered the lead a minute later. Ziegler and Brugler made consecutive 3s, and Brugler added two more field goals, pushing the Hawks’ lead to four.

Woolley notched six points toward the end of the first half, but Saint Joseph’s quickly responded with buckets from Smith and Gabby Casey. The Hawks led 39-36 at the end of the first half, with Brugler already at 20 points, 15 of which came in the second quarter alone.

Down three, Syracuse was still very much in reach of a win. But this evaporated quickly after the half, as an 11-1 run, and 26-15 third-quarter disparity sucked the air out of SU.

The Hawks’ scoring began with a wide-open 3 from Smith. Then, Saint Joseph’s turned to a familiar look, setting up Brugler for her fifth triple of the day. Smith drilled another 3 a minute later, capping off the run before the mid-quarter timeout.

“The ones they hit was at the wrong time, when our energy was picking up, and they hit us with a dagger,” Legette-Jack said.

The Orange continued to struggle after the break. Boslet was left wide open, and she sank her first 3 of the contest. Then, Velez coughed the ball up on an in-bounds, leading to a three-point play for Aleah Snead. To end the penultimate frame, Casey and Burrows traded 3s, as SU’s deficit ballooned to 65-51.

Sloppy play from the Hawks, including uncharacteristic misses by Brugler, gave the Orange the chance to cut into the lead. After Olivia Schmitt and Boslet made layups, Burrows hit her fourth 3 of the contest.

But the momentum was short-lived. After a Schmitt steal, Scott immediately chucked up a triple but misfired. Saint Joseph’s cashed in off of SU’s mistakes. Smith again got involved, hitting another long 3 to boost the Hawks to a 72-56 advantage. Brugler tacked on a layup, her 26th and 27th points of the game.

After struggling for most of the half, the Orange finally made up some ground. Wood split two free throw attempts before Hawkins made an easy layup on a fast break. On the ensuing possession, Woolley drained her first 3 of the game.

Saint Joseph’s responded immediately, with Smith knocking down another triple. Woolley got the points back with a 3-point play, but the damage was done. The Orange trailed by 16 with 1:30 to play.

Despite leading early, Legette-Jack felt that SU didn’t start clicking until the end of the contest. If the Orange want to bounce back, she said that needs to happen much earlier.

“We never set the tone until the last four and a half minutes of the game, and then … it’s too late,” Legette-Jack said.

Published on November 10, 2024 at 4:21 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu