Observations from SU’s loss to VT: Punched in mouth, 3-point disparity
In its loss to Virginia Tech Thursday, Syracuse shot just 3-of-12 from 3 compared to the Hokies’ 6-for-9 mark. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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When Syracuse last faced off against Virginia Tech, the Orange were looking for a sign of life.
After starting the 2024-25 season just 8-13, SU went to Blacksburg, Virginia, as heavy underdogs to the 15-7 Hokies. Sophie Burrows ignited for a career performance, knocking down eight 3s and scoring 28 points to propel the Orange to an upset win.
Fast forward a little less than a year, and Thursday’s matchup was a near polar opposite. The Orange came in as the slight favorite after a historically-strong start. Instead of winning the game behind heroics from beyond the arc, SU fell behind early and never recovered. This time, the Hokies left the road trip with an upset win.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (13-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) 77-57 loss to Virginia Tech (12-5, 2-3 ACC):
Punched in the mouth
Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack knows basketball can be like a boxing match. She’s often stressed the importance of her squad “throwing the first punch” — jumping on opponents early and keeping their foot on the gas. Against Virginia Tech, though, the Orange were dealt the first blow.
While both squads were efficient offensively early on, VT seemingly couldn’t miss. It scored on its first four possessions to take an 8-5 lead through three minutes. Then, two 3-pointers helped the Hokies take the 14-11 advantage with four and a half minutes to play.
Syracuse was finding buckets early, but it seemingly couldn’t keep up with the Hokies’ pace. They sprinted out to a 22-15 lead at the end of the frame after outscoring SU 11-4 in the quarter’s final three and a half minutes.
The Orange ultimately couldn’t respond from the initial blow. The deficit only grew.
Ice-cold 2nd quarter
After being outscored in the first quarter, Syracuse needed a response in the second. Instead, the Orange were as cold as the winter weather swirling outside the JMA Wireless Dome.
SU went seven minutes without a point, and didn’t score until six minutes into the second quarter. It contributed to one of SU’s slowest quarters under Legette-Jack — the Orange scored just eight points and went 4-of-14 from the field. That number was inflated by three field goals in the final minute of the contest, which helped SU narrow the gap and trail just 35-23 at the half.
An Angelica Velez jumper was Syracuse’s only points through the first eight minutes and 58 seconds of the quarter. In that span, Virginia Tech extended its lead to 19 points and embarked on a 13-0 run.
A quick scoring flurry at the end of the frame — led by another Velez bucket, a Laila Phelia layup and a Keira Scott fast break score, helped the Orange narrow the lead, but they couldn’t sustain it.
3-point disparity
One of the defining issues early in Syracuse’s season was struggling to knock down the 3. The Orange are shooting just 27.7% from 3 as a team after a particularly slow start from distance. It even featured a pitiful 0-for-16 performance against Auburn, although SU still found a way to win.
That far-from-ideal mark is familiar for the Hokies, too. Last time out against then-No. 13 Louisville, they matched SU’s woeful performance by shooting 0-for-16 and were trounced 85-60. However, on Thursday, they bounced back, shooting 66.7% (6-of-9).
On one of VT’s first possessions, Kilah Freelon nabbed an offensive rebound and dished it out to Mackenzie Nelson, who drilled a deep 3 on the Hokies’ first attempt of the game. Two possessions later, leading scorer Carleigh Wenzel banked in another triple to put Virginia Tech up 14-11. Virginia Tech only attempted three 3-pointers in the first half, but it was enough to make a difference.
Meanwhile, Syracuse rarely hunted the 3, and when it did, the Orange came up empty. SU shot 3-of-12 from distance. SU fired up six 3s in the first half and came up empty on all of them. In the second half, the Orange almost entirely abandoned the 3-ball, aside from a deep make from Burrows in the third and two late Phelia 3s.
Ultimately, Virginia Tech didn’t need the 3-pointer to win. But if Syracuse shot it as efficiently as the Hokies, it might’ve had a better chance of coming out with the triumph.
Can’t keep the ball
Since ACC play began, Syracuse has struggled to limit turnovers. Against Virginia Tech, SU turned the ball over 15 times to the Hokies’ 14, though eight of VT’s turnovers came while up 15-plus points in the fourth quarter. Otherwise, SU gave up 12 to VT’s six.
The main culprit was SU’s slow second quarter, where the Orange turned the ball over six times, contributing to six points the other way for Virginia Tech. SU then coughed up four in the third quarter as it was outscored 27-18.
In five conference games, the Orange have now given away more turnovers than their opponent in three of them. That was only the case in three of SU’s 11 nonconference games.
Of course, ACC defenses are better than several of the teams the Orange faced in the early going, but that mark could still be a cause for concern. It certainly was on Thursday in one of SU’s most lopsided defeats of the season.
