Observations from Syracuse’s win over Howard: Defense, pace in transition
Laila Phelia poured in 14 points and helped hold Howard to 62 points in Syracuse's 16-point win over the Bison Sunday. Zoe Xixis | Staff Photographer
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Sometimes, it’s not about how hard you get hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
After Syracuse was pummeled 81-55 in its last game against No. 6 Michigan, the famous quote by Rocky Balboa described the mentality the Orange needed to have after their blowout loss – their first of the season after a perfect 5-0 start.
The Orange needed a bounce-back win after coming up short against the best opponent they’ve faced all year. Against Howard, Syracuse did just that.
In a game that the Orange led by as many as 18, they cruised to a 78-62 win over the Bison. Syracuse held Howard to just 38% shooting from the field, relying on a strong first half where it pushed the pace in transition to hold off the Bison.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (6-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 78-62 win over Howard (5-1, 0-0 Mid-Eastern Atlantic) Sunday at the JMA Wireless Dome:
Defense stands out
Defense wins championships. It’s a saying that sometimes can be overused, but it was the key for Syracuse in its win Sunday. The Orange kept the pressure on Howard’s ball handlers, forcing the Bison into 15 turnovers and disrupting their offense in the half-court. Syracuse capitalized on its on-ball pressure, scoring 22 points off turnovers while scoring 17 points in transition.
The Orange prevented Howard from matching their pace, holding the Bison to just four points on the fast break. Shy Hawkins led the Orange with 3 steals, giving Syracuse momentum with multiple easy layups in transition. While Hawkins led the ball pressure, seven players finished with at least one steal.
After it was outmuscled on the glass against Michigan, Syracuse also rebounded with a more active presence in the paint against Howard. The Orange were outrebounded by 14 in their loss to the Wolverines, but Syracuse finished with a slight 39-33 advantage on the glass and kept Howard out of the paint.
Freshman Uche Izoje anchored the Orange’s paint defense and finished with a season-high seven blocks, more than Howard’s entire team combined. Izoje also contributed a team-high nine rebounds, with six of them coming on the defensive glass for Syracuse.
Balanced scoring effort
Syracuse has relied on lead guards like Dyaisha Fair in the past to do the heavy lifting on offense, but it was a balanced scoring effort from the Orange in Sunday’s win. Five players finished with at least nine points for Syracuse on an efficient shooting night against a Howard defense that was unable to keep up.
Izoje led the Orange in scoring with 20 points, while Laila Phelia had 14 and Hawkins tallied 10. Journey Thompson added 12 points off the bench on a near-perfect 6-for-7 shooting from the field, while Sophie Burrows again struggled with her shot but finished with nine points.
It was the complete opposite of Syracuse’s loss to Michigan, where the Orange had just three players in double figures and shot 17-for-59 from the field. The all-around scoring effort was the result of an offense that used ball movement to keep Howard’s defense on its back foot as Syracuse ended with a season-high 23 assists.
While she cooled off in the second half, Angelica Velez was the engine for most of Syracuse’s offense off the bench, racking up a season-high nine assists, with eight coming in the first half.
3-point struggles
The Orange bounced back in the win, but some of the same struggles that plagued them against Michigan persisted against the Bison. Syracuse shot just 4-for-14 from deep, with three of those coming from Phelia in the first half.
With Howard threatening to make a run, Burrows hit a big 3 to extend the Orange’s lead to 13 late in the third quarter, but that was all of Syracuse’s production from beyond the arc. The Bison also made life difficult for the Orange in the second half by forcing Syracuse to drive more with the lack of spacing.
Burrows shot just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, and, after her 0-for-7 display from deep against Michigan, the junior guard is now shooting just 7.7% from deep over her last two games. While Syracuse’s shooting struggles didn’t prevent it from winning against Howard, it could be an issue against future top opponents.
