Observations from SU’s NCAAT win over ISU: Izoje vs. Crooks, Schmitt cooks
Laila Phelia scored 18 points in Dominique Darius' absence, helping lift Syracuse to a first round win over Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor
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STORRS, Conn. — In the women’s collegiate basketball world, there’s no venue that exemplifies the feeling of a big game like Gampel Pavilion. The home of the UConn Huskies holds crowds and history few programs can dream of holding. And it seems every time Syracuse makes it to March, the Orange are in a crash course with it.
Last time SU entered the building, it left with a 72-64 defeat at the hands of the Huskies, ending its most recent March Madness run. But two years later, the Orange made the trip to Storrs with an almost unrecognizable squad.
The venue matched the magnitude of the task for SU Saturday. Against Iowa State, one of the nation’s most potent offenses, things were always going to be difficult for Syracuse. But the Orange rose to the task, finally picking up an elusive second Quad 1 win on one of the biggest stages in the sport.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (24-8, 12-6 ACC) 72-63 NCAA Tournament First Round win over Iowa State (22-10, 10-8 Big 12):
Audi vs. Uche
The matchup between SU’s Uche Izoje — the ACC Rookie of the Year — and ISU’s Audi Crooks — a Second Team All-American — appeared just about as intense as the matchups between the two teams themselves. Two of the nation’s best post players went back and forth all evening. Crooks tallied 37 points, while Izoje countered with 23 and seven rebounds.
From the first couple offensive possessions of the game, Izoje and Crooks traded buckets. Izoje rose up from the elbow and canned a jumper over Crooks on SU’s first offensive possession. Crooks answered right back, going to work in the post, spinning into space and finishing with her left hand to tie the game at two.
Izoje picked up an early foul, prompting head coach Felisha Legette-Jack to put Oyindamola Akinbolawa in late in the first to counter Crooks. Akinbolawa picked up a big block on Crooks’ first attempt, but Iowa State’s star settled in to close the quarter, scoring three quick points.
Once Izoje got back on the floor in the second, the two tangoed once again. Both dropped 10 points in the quarter. Most of Izoje’s came off dribble pull-ups from the elbow or just inside the 3-point arc. Crooks got to work in the paint — as she typically does — and kept the Cyclone offense afloat.
The two opened their teams scoring in the third quarter, although Izoje sat for most of the frame after picking up her third foul. Working against Aurora Almon, Crooks scored eight points.
She helped the Cyclones inch within six with under five minutes to play, but Izoje and the Orange answered at every turn. Izoje picked up four more points in the fourth to secure the win.
Holy Schmitt
Syracuse’s current point guard situation has opened the door for someone new to step up. And Olivia Schmitt could not have possibly asked for a more ridiculous introduction to the big stage than what transpired Saturday night.
The sophomore point guard exploded for 15 points, all of which came on five 3-pointers in the second quarter alone.
Schmitt’s first triple of the day was a second-chance corner 3 off a rebound and feed from Sophie Burrows, tying the game at 14. Schmitt laced another triple from the right wing less than three minutes later, putting the Orange up 21-20. She hit one from the top of the key before drilling a nasty step-back triple a few possessions later to cap a 10-0 SU run.
Another followed a minute later to polish off a ridiculous 5-for-5 quarter. Schmitt didn’t score in the second half, but her burst in the second quarter was more than enough.
On a night in which Syracuse desperately needed one of its depth pieces to step up, Schmitt did so in unbelievable fashion. She set new career-highs in points and 3-pointers made, helping lift the Orange to a massive win.
Point guard solution?
Ever since Dominique Darius sustained a season-ending left hand injury in SU’s ACC Tournament First Round win over Cal, Syracuse has been searching for a viable replacement at the point guard position. The Orange had to make a fix on the fly in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals, alternating between Schmitt, Camdyn Nelson and Maddy Potts. None of them orchestrated the offense particularly well, leading to a blowout loss to Louisville.
But with a few weeks to prepare for Darius’ absence after it was revealed she needed surgery on her hand, SU hoped the problem would be patched just enough to get it over the hump Saturday.
With Schmitt and Potts pulling the weight, SU did much better to address the glaring hole in its offense. The Orange offense scored 72 points, a day that far exceeded their last time out at the conference tournament. Schmitt’s unconscious day from beyond the arc did most of the work, although both guards paced the Syracuse offense.
Sure, the Orange likely won’t be able to count on Schmitt going nuclear every night. But Saturday was an indication that SU can rely on other guards to pick up some of the slack.
Stellar second quarter
After scoring just 11 points in the first frame, Syracuse’s second quarter was a make-or-break. It needed its offense to ignite to avoid falling into an inescapable hole in the second half.
So, the Orange put forth their best quarter against a Power Four opponent all season, outscoring Iowa State 30-12 behind Schmitt’s 15 points and Izoje’s 10.
Syracuse trailed by three entering the frame, but quickly erased that deficit with Schmitt’s first triple of the afternoon. Crooks and Jada Williams scored three buckets to give the Cyclones the lead back, but another Schmitt 3 sparked a 13-0 run the other way for SU.
A couple more buckets from Phelia and Izoje — as well as two more triples from Schmitt — helped the Orange close the half with a 15-point advantage.
That cushion became particularly important when the Orange once again let a lead slip late. SU was outscored 21-18 in the fourth quarter, relying on two big 3 pointers from Burrows to keep it comfortably in front. The second quarter ultimately made the difference in the nine-point win.
