Syracuse overcomes 16 missed 3s in overtime win over Auburn
Despite Syracuse's overtime win over Auburn, SU shot a pitiful 0-for-16 from beyond the arc, its worst mark in program history. Leopold Gensler | Contributing Photographer
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Syracuse has a complex relationship with the 3-pointer.
Last season, it was one of SU’s strong suits. It shot the rock at a 33.3% clip, the 95th-best mark in Division I. It was the only offensive metric the Orange ranked top-100 in last year.
Come this season, they’ve completely turned that fortune upside down. Entering its contest with Auburn Wednesday, Syracuse ranked 257th of 363 DI teams with a 27.8% 3-point percentage. In a Power Four contest that gave the Orange the chance to grab a crucial win, it seemed to be the perfect time to reintroduce the sharpshooting touch that they had last season.
Instead, they went a pitiful 0-for-16 from deep. Dominique Darius went 0-for-5. Sophie Burrows went 0-for-4. Laila Phelia went 0-for-3.
Failing to convert on that many attempts would’ve been a death sentence for last year’s squad. But this year’s team is different. The Orange still found a way.
In its ACC/SEC Challenge matchup, Syracuse (7-1, Atlantic Coast) took down Auburn (8-2, Southeastern) 66-60 in overtime. The 0-for-16 mark is the worst the Orange have shot from 3 in program history, but they scored 44 points inside the arc and 22 from the free throw line to claim the win.
SU’s work on the offensive glass and its defensive tenacity helped it pull off its biggest win of the year. The Orange pulled in 16 offensive boards, leading to 16 second-chance points. They also forced 27 turnovers and nabbed 15 steals.
“It’s just acknowledging that the shots aren’t going in and finding other ways, like getting the ball inside a little bit more, but still having the confidence to take those shots when we’re ready and they’re open,” Burrows said.
It’s not an issue Syracuse could’ve predicted. In fact, it was one of the only areas the team likely felt confident about entering the year. After all, SU retained two of its proven snipers from last year in Burrows and Madeline Potts.
Yet, Burrows has struggled to recreate her efficiency from deep, turning last year’s 39.6% clip from deep into just an 11.4% mark through eight games. Potts hasn’t been given the minutes to provide a spark, but she’s still just 1-of-7 from downtown.
Phelia primarily picked up the slack early on. She entered the game as SU’s best 3-point shooter at 46.2% on 26 attempts. But the 3-pointer just hasn’t played much of a factor — or at least not a positive one — in the early going.
In the season opener against Stony Brook, Syracuse shot just 1-for-12 from deep, which, at the time, was SU’s worst mark under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. Next time out against UAlbany, it went 2-for-10 from 3.
At times, the Orange seemed to ignore the 3 entirely. After SU’s win over Canisius, Phelia said guards coach Khyreed Carter told her she couldn’t shoot a 3 until she made a mid-range jumper. That may not have been the message to the whole team, but nonetheless, Syracuse attempted just nine triples. It fueled a dominant performance inside as the Orange beat the Golden Griffins 96-72.
Recently, though, Syracuse has been heating up from deep. It drilled eight 3s at a season-high 36.4% clip against Wagner and canned six in games against Utah and Michigan, respectively.
But the hot streak fizzled out into SU’s worst shooting performance ever Wednesday. SU’s main three scorers in Darius, Burrows and Phelia combined to go 0-for-12.
“We don’t wanna go 0-for-16 outside, but defensively, when you play that hard, sometimes that other stuff doesn’t (matter),” Legette-Jack said.
On Wednesday, the Orange did the other things right, primarily on the glass and defense.
SU pulled down six offensive boards in the first quarter, which turned into four second-chance points early. While SU missed seven 3s in the first quarter and trailed 17-12 after one, the work on the glass provided a few extra possessions that helped the Orange hang around.
“Our rebounders down there really give us the confidence to keep shooting,” Burrows said.
In the second quarter, the Orange went 0-for-4 from outside, but the impact was primarily evident defensively. SU held Auburn to just six points, tallied seven steals and held the Tigers to just 2-of-8 from the field. It paved the way for a five-point halftime lead, which SU used as a key cushion in the second half.
SU shied away from 3s in the second half and overtime, attempting just five across the three periods. But, as they have so many times this year, the Orange got to work in the mid-range and down low.
In overtime, all 14 of SU’s points came from in the paint or at the line. It clamped down defensively to secure a crucial Power Four win.
Shooting 0-for-16 will never be acceptable for a winning basketball team. But, as Legette-Jack said, when you do the other things right, sometimes that won’t matter. It hasn’t for Syracuse through eight games this year. And it didn’t Wednesday night.
