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Seven days after Syracuse won its only exhibition game, it opened its season against Niagara.

Following the departure of three of its top four scorers, including star point guard Dyaisha Fair, Syracuse looked for its new identity. After adding six new players, the Orange landed on their new mindset.

“We have this bracelet that we wear, and it has ‘elevated’ (written) on it,” SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tipoff on Oct. 8. “I just want them to elevate.”

A combination of SU returners and new players stepped up, as six scorers reached double figures. Behind a diverse scoring attack, Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeated Niagara 108-84 (0-1, 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) in its season opener. Despite facing last season’s Division I leader in steals, the Orange used a fast-paced offense to beat the Purple Eagles’ aggressive press.

Just 98 seconds into Tuesday’s contest, Niagara head coach Jada Pierce called a timeout. By then, Syracuse jumped out to a 6-2 lead.

Dominique Camp, who made her first regular-season start for SU, delivered an inbounds pass to Izabel Varejão for an open layup for the game’s first basket. Then, the Orange capitalized on the fast break, as Sophie Burrows and Kyra Wood quickly added two more layups.

With under seven minutes in the first quarter, SU extended its lead to 11-4 after breaking Niagara’s press again. This time, the Orange rotated the ball from the left side of the court to an open Georgia Woolley, who sunk a mid-range jumper after a behind-the-back dribble.

Midway through the first quarter, Keira Scott scored eight straight points. As SU rotated the ball around the perimeter, Scott took advantage of the open area around the basket and grabbed offensive rebounds. Her play propelled the Orange to a 24-17 lead at the end of the quarter.

The Orange opened the second quarter with a 7-2 run, creating their largest lead to that point. Wood and Varejão converted inside before Woolley made her second field goal on a 3-pointer to lift SU ahead 31-19 with 8:55 left in the quarter. Syracuse gained strong production from its frontcourt early on. Wood and Varejão tallied a combined 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting by the four-minute mark of the second quarter. The Orange poured the ball into the paint and Wood and Varejão took advantage for short deuces.

Early on, Syracuse operated despite Niagara’s press. But when the Orange’s veteran frontcourt was on the bench, the Purple Eagles’ hectic defensive style caused turnovers. Syracuse’s inability to maintain possession led to a four-minute stretch without a field goal late in the second quarter.

Though with under two minutes remaining in the half, Olivia Schmitt generated offense for Syracuse. With 1:19 left in the half, Schmitt broke Niagara’s press with her dribble and found Shy Hawkins for an open layup, increasing SU’s lead to 45-30.

Syracuse controlled the boards early on, out-rebounding Niagara 26-11 through the first 20 minutes. Scott continued to provide for the Orange, collecting 10 points and six rebounds to lead Syracuse to a 47-32 halftime lead.

Niagara started the third quarter on a 7-2 run, and Camp helped SU regain control. Two minutes into the quarter, Camp found Wood for a layup and then nailed a 3-pointer. Midway through the quarter, Camp drained a mid-range jumper to lift SU ahead 60-45.

Late in the third, Niagara’s press wreaked havoc, forcing three straight SU turnovers. The Purple Eagles’ aggressive defense helped cut the Orange’s lead to nine behind an 8-1 run.

“We continued to tell each other to stay poised and understand the pressure was not going to go away,” Camp said.

Once more, Camp came to the rescue. Syracuse broke Niagara’s press by getting the ball ahead to Camp, who handled the ball alone on Niagara’s side of the court. She paused to allow the rest of the Orange to catch up and found Woolley for an and-one finish. Woolley hit the free throw, and Syracuse led 69-57.

The Purple Eagles did not let up on the pressure. Marlie Dickerson stole the ball from Woolley on SU’s next possession, and Talia Dial drilled a 3, her third of the contest.

After taking a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the Orange went on a 9-2 run to gain more separation. Woolley hit two 3s less than two minutes apart, each from the right corner, and SU led 85-69.

Early in the game, Syracuse played at Niagara’s pace, but then it started looking for higher-quality shots, Woolley said.

“We started to really dictate the game, and that’s when we saw the way we (want to) play basketball,” Woolley said.

Hawkins became SU’s scoring source late, tallying 12 points in the final quarter. The freshman hit two free throws and then Angelica Velez fed the ball ahead to her for a layup to give SU a 97-74 lead.

In the final minute, Madeline Potts found Hawkins one more time for a layup on the break, putting the finishing touch on SU’s season-opening victory.

“The way we had to win last year as a team was to go through Dyaisha Fair,” Legette-Jack said. “This year, we’ll have to do it a little bit differently. We’re going to push with the pass and we’re going to share it differently.”

Published on November 5, 2024 at 9:36 pm

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