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Colgate’s Alexa Brodie backed off Syracuse’s guard Chrislyn Carr as the final seconds of the first half ticked away. With 45 seconds left, Chrislyn barrelled through the paint and lofted a shot that bounced off the back rim twice before Brodie rebounded the ball.

But 20 seconds later, Syracuse had one final possession looking to catch the Raiders on the fast break once again. Colgate’s Geddy Rerko turned the ball over in the offensive zone, and Syracuse sent a full-court pass along the left side of the arc for Chrislyn. She attempted a 3-pointer, getting the shot off untouched and sank her 16th point of the game to send Syracuse into halftime with a 43-25 lead.

Syracuse’s (3-4, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) speed was too much for Colgate (1-5) to handle as SU cruised to a 79-57 victory. Coming off a winless run at the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament where the Orange could not effectively use their speed, they appeared to be in their element against the Raiders, playing the face-paced game SU has relied on all season.

Syracuse struggled closing out its games at Battle 4 Atlantis, acting head coach Vonn Read said postgame. Especially against Minnesota and Buffalo, Syracuse struggled in the third quarter, allowing 27 points to the Gophers and posting just 14 points against the Bulls, which led to two sub-10 point losses. So Read made sure to emphasize playing “four complete quarters” in response to its last-place finish in the Bahamas.

“In the Bahamas, that was something that we were missing,” Read said. “We were playing three good quarters then we’d have a bad quarter and we couldn’t recover. I challenged the girls today to play hard for 40 minutes and they were able to do that.”

Syracuse’s only collapse came during the opening quarter, where it mostly trailed. Success from beyond the arc and some Syracuse foul trouble saw Colgate lead for the majority of the first quarter. Jenna Paul scored eight points in the opening three minutes, including back-to-back 3’s. She was Colgate’s leader from beyond the arc two seasons ago at 66% and is once again their leader from long range at just below 50% on 19 attempts.

Paul helped Colgate to an early 12-6 lead. But then Christianna Carr committed her second personal foul and Taylor Golembiewski sunk another 3-pointer for Colgate, and the Raiders extended that lead to 16-11.

Shortly after, Syracuse’s speed took over on both sides of the ball, and it recorded two quick steals and to spur its offense as Colgate’s pressure diminished. Chrislyn swiped the ball from Colgate’s Morgan McMahon at center court and ran toward the hoop unmarked to convert the layup. On Colgate’s ensuing rebound in its own zone, Najé Murray recorded a steal of her own and banked in a close-range 2-pointer with just under four minutes remaining. Chrislyn then used her speed once again, barreling inside the paint between the Raiders defense and lobbed in another 2-pointer to give Syracuse its first lead of the game at 17-16.

“This is (Chrislyn’s) game. You get her in space and she’s tough for anybody to guard,” Read said. “She had the floater going. She was making 3s.”

Six days ago, Chrislyn played all but two minutes in Syracuse’s nine-point loss to Buffalo, where she went 5-for-6 from 3-point range and notched a season-high 23 points. Against Colgate, Chrislyn missed just one of her 3-point field goals, shooting 9-for-15 from the field. Chrislyn scored the 3-pointer from the left side of the arc — set up by Teisha Hyman who posted four assists — that increased Syracuse’s first-quarter lead to 20-16, a lead the Orange wouldn’t surrender the rest of the game.

Syracuse also improved its rebounding consistency, despite not having a true center. Alaysia Styles has assumed the role of “center by committee”, splitting time with Eboni Walker throughout the opening portion of the season. Styles’ rebounding luck came with Colgate’s slow and almost static movement within Syracuse’s zone, which led to multiple shot-clock violations and air balls from the Raiders. Many times, Colgate stacked the left side of its offensive zone, leaving Styles plenty of space to record her eight defensive rebounds and 15 total rebounds, a career-high.

“It’s something Alaysia prides herself on,” Read said. “She’s a young lady that wants to compete and do the right thing. She knew that we needed her — we had a couple players down inside. We looked out today and we had Najé playing the five, so we were really small.”

Read kept the Orange’s usual starting five out on the court despite Syracuse’s increasing lead, with five players eclipsing 30 minutes played. This was largely due to the absence of key substitutes Jayla Thornton and Eboni as well as SU’s top returner Priscilla Willaims, each out “day-to-day” with injuries, Read said. Syracuse’s rotation sacrificed size for added speed, especially in transition, with options such as Julianna Walker and Nyah Wilson who add a similar degree of speed and shooting accuracy as Chrislyn.

Syracuse returns to the Carrier Dome on Wednesday to face an undefeated No. 21 Ohio State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Convincing victories like Sunday’s 22-point win give Read a positive feeling regarding the team’s improved chemistry, he said, which it will need against the Buckeyes, its toughest opponent of the season so far.

These players have learned how to win individually at different places, but winning together can take some time, Read said. “It’s not gonna be done overnight, unfortunately.”

Published on November 28, 2021 at 3:51 pm

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